An Analysis Of Mathematics Teacher Candidates Critical Thinking Dispositions And Their Logical Thinking Skills

Abstract

This study aimed toinvestigate the existence of the relationship between mathematics teachercandidates critical thinking skills and their logical thinking dispositions interms of the variables of grade level in college, high school type, and gender.The current study utilized relational survey model and included a total of 99mathematics teacher candidates from the department of elementary mathematicseducation at a university in Turkey. Among the results of the study were thatmathematics teacher candidates had a low level of logical thinking skills andcritical thinking dispositions; mathematics teacher candidates logicalthinking skills were improved from second grade to third grade level whiletheir critical thinking skills did not change considerably by the grade level;mathematics teacher candidates critical thinking abilities did not affectconsiderably by the high school type that were graduated from while regularhigh school graduates possessed lower level of logical thinking abilities thanthe others; a weak and negatively directed correlation between mathematicsteacher candidates critical thinking dispositions and their logical thinkingskills was evident.