Adapting the generic conspiracist beliefs scale into Turkish and its relationship between critical thinking, information literacy, and media literacy in prospective teachers: a mixed study

Abstract Conspiracy theories have gained increasing attention in recent years, particularly in education, as they influence individuals’ decision-making and attitudes. To address this issue, we aim to adapt the Generic Conspiracist Beliefs Scale (GCBS) into Turkish and explore its relationship with critical thinking, information literacy, and media literacy among prospective teachers in Türkiye. In the first phase, we validated the Turkish version of the GCBS by administering it to a sample of 637 adults. After the validation, we employed a mixed-methods explanatory sequential design to gain a deeper understanding of the relationships between these constructs. In the quantitative phase, we administered the GCBS, along with scales measuring critical thinking, information literacy, and media literacy, to 406 prospective teachers. The findings revealed a low-level positive but significant relationship between conspiracy beliefs and self-reported critical thinking scores. However, we found no significant relationship between conspiracy beliefs and the objective critical thinking test. Additionally, we identified a low-level positive correlation between conspiracy beliefs and literacy skills (both information and media literacy), suggesting that individuals with stronger conspiracy beliefs may also have slightly higher literacy skills, though the relationship remains weak. In the qualitative phase, we conducted focus group discussions with 12 volunteer participants selected from the top 25% of the sample based on their critical thinking and conspiracy belief scores. Focus group discussions revealed that prospective teachers with tendencies toward believing conspiracy theories had distorted perceptions of critical thinking and literacy skills, despite identifying as critical thinkers. Their interest in conspiracy theories generally stemmed from epistemic curiosity. Also, they indicated that they may struggle to maintain neutrality in educational settings, often reinforcing conspiratorial thinking outside class. This mindset may blur the line between fact and belief, undermining the credibility of the educational environment.