Critical Thinking Disposition, Critical Thinking Skills, and Academic Performance of Prospective Social Studies Teachers: A Mediation Analysis

Abstract

Critical thinking is necessary among prospective social studies teachers so they can cultivate similar ability among their students. The critical thinking disposition motivates individuals to use their critical thinking skills, enabling them to make reasoned decisions or achieve outcomes. However, the influence of critical thinking disposition and skills on academic performance remains underexplored, particularly in Social Studies. Determining the critical thinking levels of prospective teachers and their academic performance is imperative to provide insights into the status of critical thinking among them. How they leverage the ability to achieve academic success indicates the application and development of critical thinking in the Social Studies program. Using a quantitative explanatory design, this study examined the effect of critical thinking disposition on the academic performance of prospective Social Studies teachers using critical thinking skills as a mediating variable. It employed total population sampling and involved 126 prospective Social Studies teachers enrolled at a comprehensive State University in the Philippines during the 1st Semester of AY 2025-2026. Adopted questionnaires on critical thinking disposition and skills were used as data collection tools. Frequency, mean, and standard deviation were used to describe academic performance, critical thinking disposition, and skills, while mediation analysis examined the relationships among variables. Findings revealed that Social Studies students demonstrate strong critical thinking disposition and skills, as well as above-average academic performance. It concluded that although critical thinking skill is inversely associated with students’ achievement, critical thinking disposition is a strong predictor of academic performance.