Critical Thinking and Decision-Making Style among the Higher Secondary School Students

Abstract

The present study investigates the level of critical thinking and decision making style among higher secondary school students and examines the relationship between these two vital cognitive constructs. In today’s rapidly changing educational and social environment, students are frequently required to make important academic and personal decisions. Sound decision making is closely linked with the ability to think critically, analyze alternatives, and evaluate consequences. Hence, understanding students’ critical thinking and decision making styles becomes essential for effective educational planning and instruction. The study adopted a descriptive survey method and was conducted on a sample of 300 XI standard students studying in government, aided, and self-financing schools of Madurai District under the Tamil Nadu State Board syllabus. The tools used for data collection were the Decision Making Style Inventory developed by Rajaram (2009) and the Critical Thinking Skills Scale developed by Sunitha and Ramakrishnan (2007). Statistical techniques such as mean, standard deviation, ‘t’ test, and Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation were employed for data analysis. The findings revealed that higher secondary school students possess a high level of critical thinking and a desirable level of decision making style. A significant and strong positive relationship was found between critical thinking and decision making style. Further, critical thinking differed significantly with respect to gender, school locality, school kind, intimate friends, and participation in sports, while it did not differ based on school management. Decision making style showed significant differences based on school locality, school kind, and intimate friends, but not on gender, school management, and participation in sports. The study highlights the need for educational strategies that foster critical thinking and informed decision making among school students.