Comparison of critical thinking skills of students in physical education teacher education, coaching and recreation programs

The purpose of the present study was to determine the critical thinking skill levels of students in Physical Education Teacher Education, Coaching, and Recreation Programs and to compare critical thinking skills scores according to gender, program, grade levels and university entrance examination score types. A total of 1394 students attended in three programs were included in the study. Turkish version of Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal Test (W-GCTAT) was used to collect data. Descriptive statistics and analyses of variance were used for all data analyses. The results showed that although there was no significant gender difference between the critical thinking skills levels, significant differences were observed between the mean critical thinking skills scores according to programs, grade levels and the university entrance examination score types. In conclusion, it can be said that critical thinking skill levels of students is moderate and should be improved.