High School Critical Thinking
Shaping High School Critical Thinking Policies, Cognitive Standards, and Skill Development

Background: The study aimed to identify the policies, skills, cognition, and attitudes to teach critical thinking at the high school. 

Methodology: Using the descriptive method, the researcher prepared a list of policies and standards and presented it to a group of arbitrators to ensure its validity. The standards were then transferred to an electronic questionnaire according to Likert's scale and were validated using a coefficient Alpha Cronbach and Spearman-Brown, and included four domains: the policies (22 policies), the skills standards (40 standards), cognitive standards (15 standards), attitude standards (14 standards).

Findings: According to the sample's responses which are (39) specialists of the questionnaire, it was indicated that some policies obtained (strongly approval on two policies, and approval on 11 policies). There were 13 policies with 59%, and the non- approved policies were only 4%, and the rest of the policies which are neutral with 36%. It was also indicated that the following order highly approved the sample's approval average on critical thinking standards: emotional standards (4.58), cognitive standards (4.55), skills standards (4.53), and they are high percentages that they are appropriate standards for teaching critical thinking at the high school. 

Conclusion: To sum up, the findings have enlightened the need that Education Ministry and Related organizations should adopt the critical thinking Policies at the high school, and develop the critical thinking teaching content at the high school according to the attitude, cognitive, and skills standards, and evaluate the extent of compliance with the critical thinking teaching at the high school in the light of the policies and standards.

Keywords: critical thinking, policies and standards, teaching thinking, high school