Critical thinking of Spanish families about social networks. Validation of the PENCRIREFA questionnaire

Abstract

Social Networks have an unquestionable impact on society, reaching all groups. From the educational research point of view, it is necessary to have valid and reliable instruments to collect information, which provide valuable knowledge and contribute to guide socio-educational policies that develop critical thinking skills in families in the face of social networks. A quantitative, non-experimental, cross-sectional research is presented, with the aim of analyzing the validity and psychometric properties of a tool designed to assess the critical thinking skills of Spanish families in the face of Social Networks -YouTube and Instagram-. The results indicate that the instrument is made up of 4 factors, whose reliability indices are very favorable. This first pilot application of the instrument shows that the test is original, novel and presents the empirical fit to the model that integrates critical thinking skills in the family context.