Critical Thinking Dispositions Influencing Students’ Attainment in Social Studies Concepts in Magnet Learning Ecologies

The realities of the information age learning ecologies demand that students engage with problems and make decisions utilizing critical thinking disposition constructs which involves smart skills and habits of mind. Unfortunately, teaching initiatives to foster critical thinking in secondary schools in Nigeria are non-existent in the subjects’ curricula. This educational enquiry, therefore, evaluated critical thinking dispositions influencing students’ attainment in social studies and civic education concepts in magnet learning ecologies. The descriptive design of survey type was adopted because the variables of interest to the researchers have manifested prior to enquiry. Data was collected from 301 Junior Secondary School students in magnet schools in urban areas in Nigeria using multi-stage sampling technique. The average age of the respondents was 15.54yrs. The data collected was analyzed using Stepwise Multiple Regression Analysis. The findings revealed that dogmatism and absolutism have significant correlations with academic attainment of the respondents in social studies and civic education concepts. Categorical thinking and beliefs identification emerged as the potent predictors of students’ academic attainment in social studies and civic education concepts. Other biographical and critical thinking disposition constructs were entered into the stepwise regression model. Multiple Regression model were insignificant in determining students’ attainment. These findings lend credence to scholars’ clarion calls that secondary school teachers should teach and inculcate critical thinking dispositions in African schools.