Assessment of critical thinking skills progression in a pre-pharmacy curriculum

Abstract

ObjectiveTo evaluate changes in different components of students’ critical thinking skills through a sequential series of assignments in pre-pharmacy courses. MethodsFor 3 years, two cohorts of pre-pharmacy students completed an annual ethics-related critical thinking assignment. Progressive, 3-item rubrics (considering context, problem-solving, and innovative thinking) were used to evaluate critical thinking skills on a four-point Likert-type scale (0=not present, 3=mastery) for each year. Rubrics were designed in such a way that equivalent or higher scores indicated advancement in critical thinking skills. Longitudinal changes were assessed using the Friedman test. ResultsStudents’ (n = 44) innovative thinking scores remained the same (p = 0.21), problem-solving scores increased (p < 0.001), and considering context scores regressed (p = 0.01) throughout the three years. Total critical thinking scores also remained the same (p = 0.53). ConclusionsStudents began to formulate new ideas and implement a multifaceted approach when solving problems but remained limited in considering contexts. Thus, students need further education regarding the impact of recognizing multiple perspectives on solving problems.