Arab Educational Information Network

This paper aimed at measuring the extent to which tenth grade students possess the thinking skills as well as examining the relationship between the level of possessing these skills and achievement in mathematics and mathematical self-concept in Bethlehem Governorate. To achieve these objectives, the researcher developed a list of the most important thinking skills for learning mathematics (n=15), a test to measure the thinking skills (n=45), an achievement test and a self-concept scale for mathematics. The sample consisted of (211) tenth grade students distributed over six sections (three sections for the females and three sections for the males) in Bethlehem Directorate of Education. The analysis of the collected data revealed a low mean of thinking skills among the10th grade students (14.52). The results also revealed statistically significant differences in favor of the females in the level of 10th grade students' possession of thinking skills. Furthermore, statistically significant correlation was found between the 10th grade students’ possession of thinking skills and their achievement in mathematics as well as their mathematical self-concept. In light of these results, the researcher recommended the necessity of training teachers to measure students’ thinking skills, and to provide the teachers’ manuals with as set guidelines on how to deal with the thinking skills. (Published abstract)