THE ROLE OF CRITICAL THINKING IN SECONDARY EDUCATION

Critical thinking skills are broadly defined as the ability to analyse, evaluate, and construct logical arguments. It can therefore be affirmed that critical thinking is crucial for developing students’ autonomy, creativity, and problemsolving skills. Integrating critical thinking into the curriculum encourages students to form personal viewpoints, engage in indepth discussions, and tackle problems from various perspectives. Effective integration methods include the use of open-ended questions, promoting argumentative skills, and supporting multidimensional learning. Despite challenges such as training adequately competent teachers or the compatibility of traditional teaching methods, the potential opportunities to enhance the quality of education through the integration of critical thinking into the curriculum are highly significant. Critical thinking not only helps students achieve their best potential in learning but also prepares them to face the complexities of modern life. Keywords: Critical thinking; secondary education; teaching methods; problem-solving skills; curriculum integration.