Predicting Critical Thinking Based on Media Literacy, Self-Perception Synchrony, and Academic Fraud among Upper-Secondary Students in Hamadan
Keywords:
Critical Thinking, Media Literacy, Academic Fraud, Self-Perception Synchrony, Upper-Secondary StudentsAbstract
This study aimed to predict critical thinking based on media literacy, self-perception synchrony, and academic fraud among upper-secondary students in Hamadan. This basic study employed a descriptive-correlational design. The statistical population included all male and female upper-secondary students in Hamadan during the 2025–2026 academic year. After screening incomplete questionnaires, the final sample consisted of 324 students selected through multistage cluster random sampling. Data were collected using the California Critical Thinking Skills Test, the Media Literacy Questionnaire based on Thoman’s model, Harter’s Self-Perception Profile, and Farnese et al.’s Academic Fraud Questionnaire. Pearson correlation coefficients and simultaneous multiple regression analysis were used to analyze the data. Pearson correlation results indicated a positive and significant relationship between media literacy and critical thinking (r=0.24, p<0.01). In contrast, self-perception synchrony was negatively and significantly related to critical thinking (r=-0.11, p<0.01), and academic fraud also showed a negative and significant relationship with critical thinking (r=-0.19, p<0.01). The multiple regression model for predicting critical thinking was statistically significant (F=6.92, p=0.001). In this model, media literacy positively predicted critical thinking (β=0.12, p=0.004), whereas self-perception synchrony (β=-0.14, p=0.002) and academic fraud (β=-0.21, p=0.001) negatively predicted critical thinking. The findings suggest that media literacy contributes to the enhancement of students’ critical thinking, whereas self-perception synchrony and academic fraud are associated with lower levels of critical thinking. Accordingly, educational programs aimed at improving media literacy, strengthening academic integrity, and modifying students’ cognitive patterns may support the development of critical thinking skills among upper-secondary students.
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