IMPROVING CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS IN PRIMARY STUDENTS' READING LESSONS

SCIENCE AND INNOVATION INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC JOURNAL VOLUME 4 ISSUE 12 DECEMBER 2025 ISSN: 2181-3337 | SCIENTISTS.UZ 158 IMPROVING CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS IN PRIMARY STUDENTS' READING LESSONS K. Haydarova Gulistan State University PhD student https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18054835 Abstract. This article explores the scientific and theoretical foundations of developing critical thinking in elementary school students during reading lessons, the content and stages of critical thinking, as well as the methods and peda-gogical conditions that facilitate its effective development. It also examines ways to develop students’ thinking, analytical skills, and independent decision-making abilities through the use of interactive methods and pedagogical approaches in reading lessons. Keywords: critical thinking, reading lessons, interactive methods, pedagogical technologies, analytical thinking, logical thinking, reflective thinking. INTRODUCTION. Today, the processes of globalization taking place on a global scale, the unprecedented development of science and technology, changes in the economic, ideological, social spheres, and urgent problems related to the development of society create the need for young people to make quick and correct decisions and form critical thinking. For this reason, we can see that many developed countries of the world are emphasizing the formation of critical thinking in the education system starting from the primary grades. For example, in the education systems of Germany, South Korea, Russia, Finland, and Japan, it is important to teach primary school students to critically assess life situations and make independent decisions. Scientific research is being conducted in the world community to improve the process of ensuring personal maturity by forming critical thinking in students. In particular, great attention is being paid to the introduction of innovative forms and interactive methods of forming critical thinking in primary school students based on person-centered and problem-based educational technologies, as well as competency-based and value-based approaches. In our country, special attention is paid to the gradual, age-appropriate formation of the necessary social skills and qualities for an independent and happy life in the younger generation, aimed at raising a generation with comprehensively developed, independent personal views and their own point of view, their own choice in life, and a firm civic position. 1 Of course, the role of teachers and mentors in the implementation of such high tasks is invaluable. Therefore, the Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan states that “in our country, the work of a teacher is recognized as the basis for the development of society and the state, the formation and upbringing of a healthy, harmonious generation, the preservation and enrichment of the spiritual and cultural potential of the people, and the State takes care of protecting the honor and dignity of teachers, their social and material well-being, and professional growth” [2]. Critical thinking is the ability of a person to analyze his knowledge and experience, draw independent conclusions based on evidence, evaluate existing ideas and put forward new ideas. In scientific sources, critical thinking is also associated with such concepts as “analytical thinking”, “logical thinking”, “reflexive thinking”. However, critical thinking, unlike them, includes not only analysis or evaluation, but also substantiation, argumentation and defense of one’s point of view. SCIENCE AND INNOVATION INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC JOURNAL VOLUME 4 ISSUE 12 DECEMBER 2025 ISSN: 2181-3337 | SCIENTISTS.UZ 159 According to psychologists, the formation of critical thinking is inextricably linked with the development of a child’s thinking, attention, memory and speech activity. Therefore, the process of forming critical thinking for primary school students should be carried out gradually, taking into account their age characteristics. In this process, the teacher develops the student’s skills in independently asking questions about the text read, identifying problems, and analyzing causes and effects. METHODS. Turning to the term “critical thinking”, this term first appeared in the second half of the 20th century, when the Uzbek scientist S. Gulyomov emphasized that “it occurs when newly understood ideas are examined, evaluated, developed, and applied”[3]. According to Z. Gofurov, J. Tulenov, and Q. Nazarov, “critical thinking” refers to the skills of logical thinking and reasoning, with the help of which students are able to read carefully, conduct in-depth discussions, and express their thoughts clearly and thoughtfully in writing. According to the American scientist J. Dewey, “critical thinking appears in students only when they begin to deal with a specific problem” [5]. Therefore, the most important question that is considered the starting point of the educational process, related to a situation or event, is the question of what kind of problem this event creates. In the educational process, there is a need to determine the level of independent thinking of students. Because critical thinking is a component of independent thinking. The level of critical thinking of students is determined by a number of pedagogical methods. For example, tests developed by Ya. Yirasek, A. Kern to determine the inclinations of young people to critical thinking, D. B. Elkonin’s “Graphic dictations”, A.L. Wenger’s “Drawing along the dots”, I. Shvansar’s “Diagnostics of mental development”, O. Hasanboyeva’s “Diagnosis of the abilities of students of junior school age” are among these methods. German scholar M. Mauermann stated: “Critical thinking is a natural way for a person to interact with ideas and information, a fulcrum of thinking. It is an activity that occurs in both classroom and extracurricular processes and allows the student to exercise strict control over information.” [6] It seems that in this process, the student is given the opportunity to reconsider the perceived information and adapt it to himself. The process of developing critical thinking in students is based on psychological and pedagogical theories. J. Piaget's theory of cognitive development emphasizes the importance of taking into account the child's level of thinking in the formation of critical thinking skills. According to Piaget, children of primary school age are at the stage of concrete operations, they are able to analyze phenomena through concrete examples [4]. Therefore, the teacher should connect topics with examples that are close and understandable to students. In addition, L. Vygotsky's social learning theory is also important in the development of children's critical thinking skills. According to Vygotsky, a child's thinking ability develops through social environment and communication with the teacher [6]. In this regard, in primary school classes, group work, problem-solving tasks, discussions and role-playing games effectively develop students' critical thinking skills. Critical thinking is a high-level component of knowledge acquisition and independent thinking, and is a mental phenomenon that expands a person's ability to objectively perceive events, phenomena, and existence. In critical thinking, ideas and their significance are considered from the perspective of multi-viewpoint and compared with other ideas. It pays special attention to analysis, comparison, interpretation, innovation, problem solving, and students are given confidence in the victory of creative ideas over evil ideas. The results of the conducted analyses show that this mental activity SCIENCE AND INNOVATION INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC JOURNAL VOLUME 4 ISSUE 12 DECEMBER 2025 ISSN: 2181-3337 | SCIENTISTS.UZ 160 creates the basis for creatively combining ideas and opportunities, concentrating, and re-analyzing information. In this regard: 1) Spiritually preparing students to master critical thinking skills; 2) Stabilizing students' confidence in the solidity of their own opinions; 3) Implementing the practice of creating a pedagogical situation aimed at collective critical thinking among students of a certain class is of great importance. The formation of critical thinking skills gives students the following opportunities: -the thinking process accelerates; -they set a clear goal and look for ways to achieve it; -students' interest in acquiring knowledge and assimilating new information increases; -students are actively involved in the learning process; -students' desire to listen to and observe the diverse ideas that arise among them increases. The concept of critical thinking was deeply analyzed by D. Halpern, according to whom, “critical thinking is a healthy reflexive process, and also has a critical thinking-oriented nature, being impartial from one’s own mistakes and searching for healthy content. People who think critically are able to present new ideas and new opportunities.” It is advisable to form a system of educational tasks that encourage students to think critically in accordance with the content of the primary education process and introduce them into the educational process. RESULTS. The methodological basis of this study is the concept of person-centered education, the theory of critical thinking, interactive teaching technologies, and the principles of the competency-based approach, which are formed in modern pedagogy, psychology, and didactics. The idea of forming the student's personality as an active, independent, and critically thinking subject was chosen as the main direction of the study. The following tasks were defined as the tasks of the study: • analyze the scientific and theoretical essence of the concept of critical thinking; • study the best practices and scientific approaches to the formation of critical thinking in primary education; • identify effective methods that serve to develop critical thinking in reading lessons; • identify pedagogical factors that affect the formation of critical thinking in the work of teachers; • develop practical recommendations aimed at developing critical thinking. The following methods were used in the research: 1. Theoretical analysis - study and analysis of scientific sources related to critical thinking and primary education; 2. Systematic approach - consideration of critical thinking as a component of the educational process when organizing reading lessons; 3. Pedagogical observation - observation of students' thinking activities during primary school lessons; 4. Interview and questionnaire - identification of existing problems by studying the opinions of teachers and students; 5. Experiment (experimental testing) - practical testing of methods that develop critical thinking in reading lessons; 6. Analysis and generalization - drawing scientific conclusions based on the results obtained. SCIENCE AND INNOVATION INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC JOURNAL VOLUME 4 ISSUE 12 DECEMBER 2025 ISSN: 2181-3337 | SCIENTISTS.UZ 161 The theoretical basis of the study is the theories of such scientists as D. Dewey, D. Halpern, B. Bloom, L. S. Vygotsky, A. N. Leontyev, Sh. Amonashvili, O. Turaev, N. Mavlonova, M. Ochilov on thinking, personal development and the formation of independent thinking in the educational process. The results of the study served to develop methodological recommendations for primary school teachers on the formation of critical thinking skills in students, and the effective use of interactive approaches in the teaching process. The scientific works of some scientists confirm the need to develop critical thinking in primary school students. For example, S. I. Veksler emphasizes that the most important aspects of critical thinking are the ability to independently understand the educational material, solve non-standard problems, draw their own conclusions, and notice the mistakes of both their own and their peers [5]. These components should be developed in the primary grades, as this process becomes significantly more complex in older age. The development of critical thinking in the primary grades is very important due to the highly flexible nature of students' mental processes. Since learning is the main activity of the child at this age, the use of methods and techniques for developing critical thinking is successful [1] DISCUSSION. In primary school reading lessons, active question-and-answer, text analysis, probing questions such as "why?" and interactive methods (cluster, syncwine, problem situations) are used to improve critical thinking. This develops students' skills in understanding the text, evaluating the actions of the characters, and expressing their own opinions. The following effective methods are recommended for developing critical thinking in primary school: Working on and analyzing the text: Students are taught not only to read the text, but also to analyze it, understand the sequence of events, and identify the main idea. Problematic questions: "What would you do if you were the main character?", "Why did the character act this way?" Students are encouraged to analyze with questions such as: Interactive methods: "Cluster" (networks): Visualization of ideas in the text. "Sinquain" (five-line poem): Generalization of the information obtained. "BBB" table (I knew / I know / I learned): Reflective assessment of the level of knowledge of students. Independent thinking: Giving students the opportunity to freely express their point of view and teaching them to respect the opinions of others. These approaches form students as independent individuals who are not just receivers of information, but also process and evaluate it. CONCLUSION. The above-mentioned scientific and theoretical analyses show that developing students' critical thinking skills in primary school reading lessons not only increases reading literacy, but also forms students' ability to make independent decisions, think logically, analyze, and creatively approach life problems. This creates a solid foundation for their successful study at later stages of education and their development as socially active individuals. On the basis of critical thinking, the student's ability to consciously respond to the text read, analyze events, provide evidence, make independent decisions, and draw conclusions is formed. That is, such qualities as logical and systematic thinking, reasoning based on evidence, analysis and evaluation, and a creative approach are developed. For this process to be effective, the teacher must not only teach the content of the text, but also direct the student to think, analyze, compare, ask questions and find answers to them. Therefore, reading lessons are not just a means of imparting knowledge, but also an important pedagogical field that forms a culture of thinking. SCIENCE AND INNOVATION INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC JOURNAL VOLUME 4 ISSUE 12 DECEMBER 2025 ISSN: 2181-3337 | SCIENTISTS.UZ 162 REFERENCES 1. O’zbekiston Respublikasi Vazirlar Mahkamasining 31.12.2019 yildagi “Uzluksiz ma’naviy tarbiya konsepsiyasini tasdiqlash va uni amalga oshirish chora tadbirlari to’g’risida” gi Qaroriga 1-ilova 2. O’zbekiston Respublikasi Konstitutsiyasi. 30.04.2023. https://lex.uz 3. G’ulomov.S.S. “Dalillarni eslab qolish va g’oyalarni isbotlash”.-T.:O’qituvchi. 2005. -B.4 4. Nazarov.Q. Falsafa metodologiyasi.-T.: Yangi asr avlodi. 2005. -B.78 5. Дьюи.Дж. Индивидуализация обучения школников.- Чикаго.1991.-С.19 6. Мауерман.М. Развитие интеллекта и его природные качества.-М.Торговый дом гранд. 2005.- С.27 7. Халперн.Д.Психология критического мышления. Питер.2000. 240.-С 8. Facione P.A. 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