Introduction and Purpose: Studies conducted in Iran indicate that the level of critical thinking abilities among Iranian students and university learners is relatively low and has not received the attention it deserves within the Iranian educational system. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the effect of critical thinking training on academic self-efficacy, creativity, and academic achievement motivation among eighth-grade male students at Tohid Public Middle School in Fuman County.
Method: This study was applied in terms of purpose and experimental in terms of data collection design. The sample consisted of 30 eighth-grade male students who completed questionnaires on academic self-efficacy, creativity, and academic achievement motivation in both pre-test and post-test stages. The experimental group participated in ten 90-minute sessions of critical thinking training, while the control group did not receive any intervention. Data analysis was performed using SPSS software through multivariate covariance analysis (MANCOVA).
Findings: The results showed significant differences between the experimental and control groups in the variables of self-efficacy, achievement motivation, creativity, and personality traits. In the post-test stage, the F-values were 183.459, 24.336, 116.045, and 24.471, respectively, with a significance level of P ≤ 0.0001. Therefore, it can be concluded that critical thinking training leads to increased self-efficacy, achievement motivation, creativity, and positive personality traits among eighth-grade male students at Tohid Public Middle School in Fuman County.
Conclusion: Based on the findings, it can be stated that employing critical thinking techniques is an effective strategy for enhancing students’ academic success.