The Predictive Ability of Cognitive Dissonance at the Level of Critical Thinking Skills among Tenth Grade Students at Zarqa Educational District / UNRWA

The study aimed to identify the predictive ability of cognitive dissonance at the level of critical thinking skills among tenth grade students at Zarqa Education District / UNRWA. The study sample consisted of (340) male and female students. Researchers used the cognitive dissonance scale, and translated critical thinking test (Watson-Glasar), the abbreviated British version. The results showed: No statistically significant differences in cognitive dissonance and critical thinking skills referred to the effect of gender. The results also showed that cognitive dissonance had ability of predictive at the level of critical thinking skills. As (69%) of the variance in critical thinking can be explained by the variance in (cognitive dissonance), meaning that (cognitive dissonance) predicts (69%) of the level of critical thinking. The researchers recommended that educators, including teachers and curriculum developers, to pay attention to strategies that raise cognitive dissonance because of their importance in developing critical thinking skills.