Abstract:

Recent events in the world (desire for power, material gain, denial of human rights, lack of practical wisdom, etc.) indicate not only a loss of rational thinking, but also a moral decline. Especially recent weeks have seen how critical thinking, moral reasoning and social status (acquired through education) are very closely linked. The basic value that we should support in education is to be able to contribute to our own survival, growth and development, but also the survival and development of others. The aim of the study was to find out what the critical thinking and moral reasoning in students of teacher education programs are like and how these variables are interrelated with academic results. The sample consisted of N = 761students of the 2nd and 3rd year of bachelor's degree teaching programmes at the University of Prešov in Prešov, The Slovak Republic. The calculated value of Pearson's correlation coefficient showed the relationship between critical thinking and the achieved student average, as well as the relationship between moral judgment and the studying average achieved. A worrying finding identified a low level of critical thinking and moral reasoning. Teacher graduates are generally considered to be the intellectual elite that will prepare the next generation of children to live in future society and this should, above all, lead one to do good and avoid the bad. To achieve a positive comprehensive personality development, it is necessary to develop a critical and morally mature personality already in lower levels of education, so that the society could avoid situation when critical thinking will only be used to excuse our own egocentric behaviour and that we will use a good heart for perfect manipulation.

Keywords:

Critical thinking, moral reasoning, academic success.