Twisted thinking and its relationship to radical thinking among university students

Abstract

Orientation: Twisted thinking and its relationship to radical thinking among university students.

Research purpose: This study aimed to reveal the level of twisted and radical thinking, and to know the relationship between them among university students.

Motivation for the study: To know the effects of these two negative types of thinking on students. These thoughts can cause a decline in their academic achievement and affect their social relationships within the university, leading to a waste of youthful energies.

Research approach/design and method: This study used a descriptive approach on a random sample of 400 male and female students, in the second year in different specialisations, for the academic year 2023–2024.

Main findings: It was found that the problem of second-year students in the colleges of the University of Mosul is that they possess twisted and radical thinking, and there is a strong direct relationship between these two types of thinking, which may cause a decline in their academic and social abilities in the future.

Practical/managerial implications: The study highlights the impact of negative thinking patterns represented by twisted and radical thinking on students’ academic and social life, and the need to develop positive thinking skills to confront these negative thinking patterns.

Contribution/value-add: This study contributes by providing data on deviant and radical thinking patterns among second-year students in the University of Mosul. Educational policy makers and curricula should include critical and positive thinking skills to ensure that these negative thinking patterns do not spread among students.