Critical Thinking Skills in Children’s Literature

Story has a very critical role in the formation of critical thinking skills. The purpose of the prison research is to explore the potential benefits of normal stories in the formation and promotion of critical thinking skills in children. The present research has utilized content analysis method to explore the extent and components of critical thinking skills in the view of Richard Paul in stories authored for children at the age range of “C” (10-12 years) all of which were published during 1961 -2006 and listed as appropriate books in the Council of Children’s Books. The results indicate that the components of implications and consequences, information, data, evidence, experience, purpose, moral reasoning capabilities are in a better position than other components. The weakest components are assumptions, confidence in thinking, opinions and inferences, and interpretations. Also, most of the successive growth of stories in terms of critical thinking components has occurred in the late works and in the eighties, regardless of the cross-sectional growth of the forties.