Abstract
<p>Critical thinking is a key learning outcome for Palestinian students. However, there are no validated critical thinking tests in Arabic. Suitability of the US developed Critical Thinking Assessment Test (CAT) for use in Palestine was assessed. The test was piloted with university students in English (n=30) and 4 questions were piloted in Arabic (n=48). Students responded favorably. Scores were comparable with US scores. Only two students found the content problematic. One-hundred-twelve Palestinian faculty reviewed the skills tested by the CAT. There was moderate agreement that they represent critical thinking. Translation of the CAT into Arabic and further study are warranted.</p>
Highlights
The globalization of higher education over the last few decades has been accompanied by an enormous range of different kinds of assessment; witness for example the rash of new international university rankings that have appeared since the onset of the present millennium focused on assessing university’s relative reputation (Rauhvargers, 2011)
Contemporary Palestinian higher education is very different from the modern university environment which prevails in western countries, especially from the environment which exists in the US
The results of the 3 studies suggest that the Critical Thinking Assessment Test (CAT) test has potential as an assessment tool for critical thinking in Palestinian higher education
Summary
The globalization of higher education over the last few decades has been accompanied by an enormous range of different kinds of assessment; witness for example the rash of new international university rankings that have appeared since the onset of the present millennium focused on assessing university’s relative reputation (Rauhvargers, 2011). National and institutional levels there have been widespread efforts to assess the quality of teaching as part of broader Quality Assurance (QA) initiatives (Bernhard, 2012). Both of these kinds of efforts have expanded quickly to include national systems of Higher Education of all types across the world. Improvements to teaching and learning based on assessments of higher order student learning outcomes and evaluations of programs which use such assessments are even less frequent. In a national study of undergraduate teaching practices in Palestine, Cristillo (2009), found that teaching and assessment practices were primarily geared toward lower levels of learning such as rote memorization
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