Examination of the Relationship between Educational Philosophy, Critical Thinking, Classroom Engagement and Academic Achievement

Abstract

Educational philosophy addresses systematic ideas and conceptions in the educational manner. The purpose of this study was to examine the contributions of educational philosophy, critical thinking and classroom engagement to academic achievement among pre-service teachers by utilizing structural equation modelling. A total of 444 teacher pre-service teachers who volunteered from a state university in Turkey participated in the study. Data collection tools were Educational Belief Scale, UF/EMİ Critical Thinking Disposition Instrument and Classroom Engagement Inventory. Analysis revealed that the hypothesized model explained 22% variance of academic achievement. Path coefficients indicated that some educational philosophies were significantly related to critical thinking dispositions. Innovativeness in critical thinking disposition significantly predicted all dimensions of classroom engagement. Educational implications were discussed.