Are Fourth‐Year College Students Better Critical Thinkers than Their First‐Year Peers? Not So Much, and College Major and Ethnicity Matter. Issue 1 (24th May 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Liu, Ou Lydia; Roohr, Katrina Crotts; Seybert, Jacob M.; Fishtein, Daniel
• Is Part Of: Educational measurement. Volume 41:Issue 1(2022)
• Page Start: 64
• Page End: 79
• Publication Date: 2021-05-24
• Subjects: assessment -- college students -- critical thinking -- propensity score weighting -- race/ethnicity; Educational tests and measurements -- Periodicals; Educational tests and measurements -- United States -- Periodicals; 371.262
• DOI: 10.1111/emip.12430
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0731-1745

Abstract

Abstract: Critical thinking has become an essential skill required by both higher education and the workforce. Research to date has reported moderate cross‐sectional learning differences in critical thinking as students progress through a 4‐year college. However, retention, differential participation, and students' low test‐taking motivation possibly confounded conclusions from prior studies. Controlling for such factors, we found a cross‐sectional difference of .24 SD s after 4 years in college ( n = 2, 381 students, 46 institutions), considerably smaller than what's reported in prior studies. Natural science majors performed the highest and business majors performed the lowest. Minority students achieved only half of the cross‐sectional difference (.18 SD s) of white students (.39 SD s), and only 6% of them scored at the Advanced level, compared to 24% of white students.