Assessing Critical

Thinking:

Lesley-Jane Eales-Reynolds (DVC, Education)

September 7th, 2016

Why do we care?

How does one think critically?

What skills and attributes do you need?

How can we teach this?

How can we assess this?

Critical Thinking:

Why should we care?

A defining concept of the Western University (Barnett, 1997)

>90% of faculty in USA: CT most important element of university education (Bok, 2006)

Industry reports – require CT but not getting it

Critically evaluate arguments, assumptions, abstract concepts and data… to make judgements, and to frame appropriate questions to achieve a solution -or identify a range of solutions - to a problem (QAA, 2008)

Proposed KUL CT Framework (A1E2I3)

We say we teach it – but how?

What about the principles of curriculum design?

Constructive alignment (Biggs)?

How do we assess it?

Do we really do it at all?

International survey: 22% said they didn’t teach

it

Teaching Critical Thinking

Typology of Critical Thinking instruction (Ennis,

1989)

General approach – CT taught separately

Infusion approach – CT infused in other subject

matter

Immersion approach – CT a result of immersion in

disciplinary knowledge

Combination/ Mixed

Teaching Critical Thinking

Teaching Critical Thinking

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

NO YES/NO Implicit Explicit SA Explicit Emb

22

12

36

15

19

Teaching Critical Thinking

Behar-Horenstein & Niu (2011)

– 42 studies52% used immersion approach

Improvement more likely when

teaching is explicit

No single method consistently

better/ worse

Development dependent upon

environment, instructor training

& instructor-student interaction

Teaching Critical Thinking

Abrami et al (2008) –

Largest effect – mixed with CT as independent track within course

Smallest effect – immersion where CT is a bi product –further reduced when CT skills are not a course objective

Larger instructional effects when CT requirements are clear and important part of course design.

Most effective - developing CT skills separately and then applying them to course content explicitly.

Least effective - Immersing students in thought provoking subject matter instruction without explicit use of CT principles.

Abrami, P. C., Bernard, R. M., Borokhovski, E., Wade, A., Surkes, M. A.,

Tamim, R., & Zhang, D. (2008). Instructional Interventions Affecting

Critical Thinking Skills and Dispositions: A Stage 1 Meta-Analysis. Review

of Educational Research, 78(4), 1102–1134.

doi:10.3102/0034654308326084

Bartlett, D. J., & Cox, P. D. (2002). Measuring Change in Students’ Critical

Thinking Ability: Implications for Health Care Education. Journal of Allied

Health, 31(2), 64–69.

Behar-Horenstein, L. S., & Niu, L. (2011). Teaching Critical Thinking Skills

in Higher Education: A Review of the Literature. Journal of College

Teaching & Learning, 8(2), 25–41.

Eales-Reynolds, LJ., Gillham,D., Grech, C., Clarke,C, Cornell, J (2012) A

study of the development of critical thinking skills using an innovative

Web 2.0 tool. Nurse Education Today, 32, 752-756.

Ennis, R. (2011). Critical Thinking. Inquiry: Critical Thinking Across the

Disciplines, 26(1), 4–18.

Ennis, R. H. (1989). Critical thinking and subject specificity: Clarification

and needed research. Educational researcher, 18(3), 4–10.

Facione, P. A. (1998). Critical thinking: What it is and why it counts.

Millbrae, CA: California Academic Press. Retrieved February, 26, 28.