The continuous progress in the modern era places increasingly higher demands on fostering critical thinking as a key competence for university students, who will later integrate into society (Minnameier & Hermkes, 2020). According to Paul and Elder (2014), there are two main dimensions of critical thinking: critical thinking skills (analytical thinking, logical reasoning, and the ability to accurately assess information) and critical thinking dispositions (attitudes, value preferences, and an individual’s motivation to apply critical thinking in specific situations). Ennis (2015) suggests that students with higher levels of critical thinking tend to be better prepared for critical and analytical thinking, which is crucial for their success in both academic and professional spheres. The aim of the presented paper is to examine the relation between critical thinking as skills and dispositions and learning strategies of university students.

Methods:
The research sample consisted of 176 university students (M= 24.18, SD = 4.59; 69,2% women). To measure critical thinking skills, we used The Watson–Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal (Watson, Glaser, 1991). Critical thinking dispositions were measured by critical disposition scale (SOSU, 2013), and for learning strategies Motivated strategies for learning questionnaire (Pintrich, Smith, Garcia McKeachie,1991) was utilized.

Results:
The results showed that critical thinking skills are related to learning strategy elaboration. No statistically significant correlations were found between critical thinking skills and organization and metacognition. However, dispositions toward critical thinking were significantly correlated to all of three tested learning strategies. Multiple regression analysis revealed that only one CT disposition – critical openness is significant strong predictor of students´ learning strategies (β = 0,34 – 0,54, p ˂ 0,001).

Conclusion:
Findings highlighted the need for developing critical thinking at universities. Students with a higher level of critical thinking dispositions tend to learn more effectively, manage their academic efforts, and achieve better results.

Keywords: Critical Thinking Skills, Critical Thinking Dispositions, Learning Strategies, University Students.