An Investigation into the Relationship between Secondary School Students’ Critical Thinking Skills and Entrepreneurship Skills

In today’s information age, the primary aim of education systems is to equip students with higher-order skills such as critical thinking and entrepreneurship, going beyond the mere transfer of knowledge. In line with this, the aim of the present study is to examine the relationship between secondary school students’ critical thinking tendencies and their entrepreneurial skills. The sample for this study, which utilized a predictive correlational design to determine the relationship between the two variables and the predictive status, consisted of 686 secondary school students (Years 5, 6, 7 and 8) studying in Gaziantep province during the 2024–2025 academic year. The ‘Critical Thinking Propensity Scale’ and the ‘Entrepreneurship Scale’ were used to collect the data. The data obtained were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation, and simple and multiple linear regression analyses. The research findings indicate that the students’ critical thinking skills are at a moderate level, whilst their entrepreneurial propensities are at a moderate-to-high level. A significant and positive relationship was found between the two skills; the results of the multiple regression analysis revealed that the ‘dialectical thinking’ sub-dimension predicted entrepreneurial inclination at a positive and significant level. In contrast, it was found that the ‘analysis’ and ‘inclination’ sub-dimensions had negative effects on entrepreneurship. In light of these findings, it is recommended that holistic teaching programs be developed to support the simultaneous development of critical thinking and entrepreneurial skills.