Volume 13, Issue 4 (April 2026), Pages: 203-213

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 Original Research Paper

Investigating critical thinking awareness, competencies, and attitudes in high school students and the implications for educational practices

 Author(s): 

Lien Thi Bich Nguyen ¹, Thang Van Le ^2, *, Cong Van Tran ¹, Oanh Thi Mai Lu ¹

 Affiliation(s):

¹Faculty of Education Sciences, VNU University of Education, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, Vietnam
2Department of Psychology and Education, University of Education, Hue University, Hue, Vietnam

 Full text

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 * Corresponding Author. 

   Corresponding author's ORCID profile:  https://orcid.org/0009-0000-6327-8315

 Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

 
https://doi.org/10.21833/ijaas.2026.04.020

 Abstract

This study aimed to assess the levels of critical thinking awareness, competencies, and attitudes among high school students and to examine their implications for teaching and learning. A cross-sectional design was used, involving secondary school students from different regions. Data were collected using a 39-item questionnaire based on validated tools, including the Critical Thinking in Daily Life Questionnaire (CTDLQ). Descriptive statistics, including means and standard deviations, were analyzed using SPSS 25.0. The results showed that students moderately recognized the influence of their background on their ability to evaluate issues objectively (M = 3.43, SD = 0.53). In terms of competencies, students performed well in evaluating issues from multiple perspectives (M = 3.86, SD = 0.38), which was one of the highest-rated skills. Regarding attitudes, students also showed a high level of willingness to seek additional information when facing uncertainty (M = 3.86, SD = 0.38), indicating a proactive approach to problem-solving and decision-making. Overall, the findings highlight the importance of developing both awareness and skills to support well-rounded critical thinking. Educational practices should emphasize reflection, open-mindedness, and targeted skill development to address existing gaps and enhance students’ critical thinking. These results contribute to a better understanding of critical thinking as a multidimensional concept and provide useful insights for curriculum design and teaching strategies.

 © 2026 The Authors. Published by IASE.

 This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

 Keywords

Critical thinking, Student competencies, Learning attitudes, Educational assessment, Secondary education

 Article history

Received 22 August 2025, Received in revised form 28 March 2026, Accepted 22 April 2026

 Acknowledgment

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support provided by the VNU University of Education, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, Vietnam under project code QS.20.04, approved on July 16, 2020. 

 Compliance with ethical standards

 Ethical considerations:

The study was conducted in accordance with ethical standards. All participants were informed about the research's objectives and provided their informed consent voluntarily. The data collected was kept confidential and used strictly for academic research purposes to ensure the privacy of all respondents. 

 Citation:

Nguyen LTB, Le TV, Tran CV, and Lu OTM (2026). Investigating critical thinking awareness, competencies, and attitudes in high school students and the implications for educational practices. International Journal of Advanced and Applied Sciences, 13(4): 203-213

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