Approach to critical thinking in the Turkish Language and Literature curriculum: a content analysis

Abstract

This study first intends to explore the philosophical stance of the Turkish Language and Literature curriculum, which was redesigned in 2018, to assess extent to which it is conducive to development of critical thinking skills. Then, it aims to analyse its approach to developing critical thinking skills. To these ends, the researcher primarily used the curriculum ideologies as conceptualised by Schrio (2013), and the notion of critical thinking as conceived by Davies and Barnett (2015) as lenses. The researcher used content analysis to answer the research questions, and based on analysis, the researcher first discusses the philosophical stance of the Turkish Langue and Literature curriculum in relation to in relation Schiro’s four ideologies: Scholar Academic, Social Efficiency, Learner Centered and Social Reconstruction. Then, the researcher discusses the results in relation to three movements as put forward by Davies and Barnett (2015).