Knowledge and Attitudes towards Critical Thinking among Saudi International Students in the UK Universities

The purpose of this small-scale study is to investigate Saudi students' knowledge of Critical Thinking (CT) and their attitudes towards it. The sample consisted of 121 Saudi students from 23 cities who are currently studying in UK universities with a mix of background variables (age, gender and university level). A questionnaire was developed by the researchers to be used as the tool of the study. Its validity and reliability were established. The results revealed a negative correlation between the knowledge of CT and attitudes to it. It was also indicated that statistically significant differences exist between the means of knowledge, according to university level, in favour of postgraduates. Moreover, no significant differences in the level of attitudes to CT were found according to age. Similarly, no significant differences in the knowledge of CT were found according to gender. Furthermore, the study indicated that attitudes to CT among Saudi students could be predicted based upon their university level. The study findings have contributed to the knowledge of the impact of background factors on knowledge of and attitudes to CT. As there is a debate in the literature regarding gender and university level effect on factors on knowledge of and attitudes to CT, the findings of this study confirms that the impact of background factors such as gender and university level differs based upon different contexts. Hence, this study suggests conducting further interpretive or mixed methods research with Saudi international students in order to understand the context in more depth.