Development and Validation of the Chinese Critical Thinking Disposition Scale among Foreign Language Students

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the factors affecting critical thinking and empathic disposition of nursing students and the relationships between the empathy and critical thinking disposition in nursing education. Methods: The study was carried out on undergraduate students at nursing school during 2011-2012 academic years. The sample consisted of 276 students who had agreed to participate in the research, 30.7% of them were the first year students (freshman), 27.4 % were the second year students (sophomore), 20.2% were the third year students (junior) and 20.9% were the fourth year students (senior) of nursing program. California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTDI) designed by Kokdemir and Empathic Tendency Scale invented by Dokmen were used to assess the research data. Furthermore, an “Individual Information Form” questioning the grades, genders and parental education levels of the nursing students was prepared and applied by the researcher. Results: The mean score for the Empathic Tendency Scale was 53.25±6.57, the mean score for the Critical Thinking Disposition Scale was 209.95±25.26. Correlation analysis revealed significant relationships between the students' scores of Empathic Tendency Scale and total score of Critical Thinking Disposition Scale (r=0.186 p 0.05). It was detected that nursing students’ critical thinking ability was not affected by their genders and parental education levels. Conclusion: A significant relationship was observed between the Empathic Tendency and general Critical Thinking Disposition and Analytical Thinking skills. The differences were also observed between the class levels in terms of Empathic Tendency and Critical Thinking Disposition and it was also observed that nursing students’ critical thinking disposition scores were considerably low. These findings suggest that these skills can be enhanced with education. Current findings revealed that emphasis should be placed on practical works to develop students’ ability of empathy and critical thinking disposition in class levels. Key words: Critical Thinking Disposition, Empathic Tendency, Nursing student

IntroductionAssessing critical thinking disposition is crucial in nursing education to foster analytical skills essential for effective healthcare practice. This study aimed to evaluate the cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Persian version of the Critical Thinking Disposition Scale among Iranian nursing students.MethodA total of 390 nursing students (mean age = 21.74 (2.1) years; 64% female) participated in the study. Face and content validity were established through feedback from nursing students and expert specialists, respectively. Construct validity was assessed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The EFA was used to explore the number of factors and the items that were loading on them. The CFA was used to confirmed the fidnings of the EFA on the same sample. Convergent and discriminant validity were examined, along with reliability through internal consistency and test-retest reliability.ResultsEFA revealed a two-factor structure, comprising “Critical Openness” and “Reflective Skepticism,” explaining 55% of the total variance. CFA confirmed the model’s fit (χ² = 117.37, df = 43, χ²/df = 2.73, p < 0.001; RMSEA = 0.067; CFI = 0.95; TLI = 0.93, SRMR = 0.041). Convergent and discriminant validity were supported, with significant factor loadings (p < 0.001) ranging from 0.61 to 0.77. The CTDS exhibited strong internal consistency (α = 0.87) and excellent test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.96).ConclusionThe validation of the CTDS in Persian language settings provides a reliable tool for assessing critical thinking disposition among Iranian nursing students. The two-factor structure aligns with previous research, reflecting students’ propensity towards critical openness and reflective skepticism. The study’s findings underscore the importance of nurturing critical thinking skills in nursing education.

Assessment of the psychometric properties of the Vietnamese version of the Critical Thinking Disposition Scale

The aim of this study is to determine the critical thinking disposition levels of middle school students and their perceptions of school climate to examine the effect of gender on these variables and to analyze the predictive power of school climate sub-dimensions on critical thinking disposition. The study was conducted with 162 7th- and 8th-grade middleschool students. To measure students’ critical thinking disposition levels, the Critical Thinking Disposition Scale was used, while the School Climate Scale was employed to assess their perceptions of school climate. The study adopted a relational survey model. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent samples t-tests, and multiple linear regression analyses. Findings indicate that school climate is at a moderate level, while critical thinking disposition is at a high level in both grade levels. Gender does not create a significant difference in school climate perception for either grade level. However, 7th-grade female students have higher critical thinking disposition levels compared to male students, with a moderate effect size. For 8th-grade students, no significant difference in critical thinking disposition was observed based on gender. According to the multiple linear regression analysis, the sub-dimensions of school climate are moderate or low-level significant predictors of critical thinking disposition in both seventh and 8th grades. The school climate sub-dimensions explain 25% of the variance in critical thinking disposition for 7th graders and 19% for 8th graders. These findings suggest that students’ perceptions of school climate play a role in enhancing their critical thinking disposition levels. The results are discussed in the context of the literature, and recommendations are provided. Cite this article as: Tokgöz, E. Ö., &amp; Ağın, E. (2025). School climate on secondary school students’ critical thinking dispositions. HAYEF: Journal of Education, 22, 0001, doi: 10.5152/ hayef.2025.25001.

BackgroundThe disposition to critical thinking equips students with the capacity for objective analysis, informed decision-making, and problem-solving. Furthermore, it enhances intellectual autonomy and adaptability within academic contexts.ObjectivesTo assess the psychometric properties of the Critical Thinking Disposition Scale in Peruvian adolescents.MethodologyThe psychometric adaptation process was implemented to evaluate the relevance, clarity, and comprehension of the items through expert judgment and pilot testing. Utilizing a sample of 499 students aged 10–17 years (M = 15.8, SD = 1.30), a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted.ResultsThe scale demonstrated validity and reliability, yielding optimal fit and reliability indices that support its unidimensional structure.ConclusionThe validation of the Critical Thinking Disposition Scale in the Peruvian context provides a valuable instrument for assessing and fostering the propensity of Peruvian students to employ critical thinking skills, with implications for professional practice and educational policy. Furthermore, the study is significant because it shows that all factor values were greater than 0.40, which represents that the items contribute significantly to the evaluation of adolescents’ disposition to critical thinking.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between nursing students’ critical thinking disposition and autonomy levels. METHODS: The descriptive-relationship seeking study was conducted with 288 nursing students in the nursing department of a state university. Data were collected by using the Descriptive Characteristics Information Form, which included socio-demographic characteristics, California Critical Thinking Disposition Scale and Sociotropy-Autonomy Scale. Data were analyzed by number, percentage, mean, standard deviation and Pearson correlation tests. RESULTS: It was found that the students’ mean autonomy subscale of Sociotropy-Autonomy Scale score was 87.43±11.27 and the overall mean score of critical thinking disposition was 232.52±23.30. There was a statistically significant positive correlation between the students› overall mean scores of California Critical Thinking Disposition Scale and autonomy subscale scores of Sociotropy-Autonomy Scale (r = 0.526, p &lt;0.010). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: In the study, the autonomy levels of the students were above the middle level; critical thinking disposition levels were low; There was a positive relationship between critical thinking disposition and autonomy levels. The results of the study suggest that nursing education curricula should be revised and restructured in order to raise students’ critical thinking and autonomy levels in nursing education.

The aim of this research is to investigate the relationship between prospective teachers' critical thinking dispositions and their educational philosophies.The research used relational screening model.The study hosts a total of 429 prospective teachers selected by the simple random sampling method.Research data has been collected through Critical Thinking Disposition Scale and Philosophy Preference Assessment Scale.The research's analysis utilized pearson product moment correlation and multiple linear regression analysis.The current study found that there is a positive significant relationship between the scores of prospective teachers' critical thinking dispositions and those of contemporary educational philosophy dimension of the philosophy preference assessment scale; in traditional educational philosophy dimension, there is a positive but insignificant relationship between the scores; moreover, the relationship between the dimensions of critical thinking disposition scale such as cognitive maturity, engagement and innovation and their contemporary educational philosophies have been found to be significant.These three dimensions explain 14% of the educational philosophies and there is not a significant correlation with the traditional educational philosophies.

Extended Abstract Abstract The ultimate goal of any pedagogy system is to create positive transformations in human and finding a desired identity for him/her in social and individual life. Undoubtedly, higher education system is not free from explicit and implicit transfer of certain norms and insights to learners. One of the goals of the higher education system is to educate learners who conduct scientific activities by using different thinking methods especially critical thinking. Thus, present study intends to examine the students’ critical thinking disposition and the relationship between dependent variable of students’ critical thinking disposition and independent variables of gender, age, educational field and educational grade. This goal was realized by using a survey and Ricketts standard questionnaire (2003). Respondents were students at Farabi Campus of University of Tehran. The basis of selecting the students was random sampling technique by which 346 subjects were selected and analyzed from students’ population (3550 students). Of the most important findings of the research, one can refer to the fact that students in research population tend to critical thinking. Additionally, research findings suggest that there is a significant relationship between gender, age and educational grade with students’ critical thinking disposition while no significant association was observed between educational field and students’ critical thinking disposition. Introduction Today, by transformations in theoretical basics and nature of science, new approaches are raised on determining educational goals and training process. One of the most important approaches is to pay attention to thinking in training process. Growth and breeding students’ thinking skills has been always an important issued in education since our culture information outcome has gone beyond our critical thinking strength. Thus, in today world in which people can communicate through Internet, reading and writing is no longer the ability to meaning of words and to conceive texts and making a few grammatical sentences; rather, in today world, one should equip with critical thinking in encountering with information explosion in Internet (Mahdizadeh et al, 2012). Overall, this research plans to answer this question that how is the critical thinking disposition among students? Additionally, four below goals are also pursued: Determining the relationship between students’ gender and their tendency toward critical thinking disposition; Determining the relationship between students’ age and their tendency toward critical thinking disposition; Determining the relationship between students’ field of study and their tendency toward critical thinking disposition; Determining the relationship between students’ grade and their tendency toward critical thinking disposition; Case study: present research plans to study students’ critical thinking disposition in University of Tehran, Farabi Campus. Theoretical framwork Since mid-20th century, critical thinking is considered as an educational necessity and then, needed initiatives were taken to put this concept in all learners’ critical thinking training agenda. Undoubtedly, any action in this regard needs to specify the concept of critical thinking and its traits and aspects. What used in present study are the aspects of critical thinking disposition raised by Ricketts (2003). He used Facion’s research as his own basis and due to criticisms against Facion’s classification, he attempted to reuse Delphi technique (however, based on the same theories achieved from Facion’s reports) to acquire new classifications. He asserts that critical thinking disposition is shaped by an inner report and its aspects include: Engagement: propensity to engagement measures three issues: student’s tendency to look for opportunities to use rationality and argument; predicting those situations which need to argue; trust to the capability of rationality and arguing; Innovativeness: tendency to innovation measures students’ talent since the tend to know the reality and are curious intellectually; Cognitive maturity: it measures maturity of three issue: students’ talent to be aware of the complexity of real problems; openness to others’ attitudes; awareness on backgrounds and prejudices of oneself and others (Rickets, 2003: 20 – 21; cited by Khojasteh and others, 2014). Methodology This is a descriptive – cross sectional survey conducted in University of Tehran’s Farabi Campus by 3550 students in 2018 – 2019 educational year. In this study, by using Morgan and Krejcie Table, 346 students were selected by random simple sampling method as sample size. In present study, data collection tool is two-segment questionnaire. The first segment is a structured questionnaire which involves students’ demographical information. The second segment is critical thinking disposition scale by Rickets (2003). The subjects announce the degree of their agreement/disagreement with each item in Likert’s five – score scale. To analyze data, SPSS24 and AMOS24 software packages and to compare the means, t-test and One-Way ANOVA tests are utilized; Scheffe test is used if One-Way ANOVA test is meaningful. Discussion and Findings To test the normality, Kolmogorov – Smirnov multivariable test was used and the results indicated that data are following a normal distribution. To validate indicators and scales, confirmatory factor analysis was utilized. The results from fitness indicators for modelling three aspects of mental engagement, maturity and innovativeness suggest that all variables enjoy proper fitness. To evaluate measurement model, this model was initially validated. To this end, discriminate validity was examined. Its validity was more than 0.5 for all variable. Since there is more than one latent variable in this model, discriminant validity was also investigated. In present study, the correlation among all constructs is less than 0.9 which is plausible. To see whether critical thinking disposition exists in different aspects or not and by considering results from Kolmogorov – Smirnov test which suggests data distribution normality, single t-test was conducted. In all aspects, significance coefficient equals with zero and less than test error level (0.05). Upper and lower level are positive and t statistic is out of -1.96 and +1.96 in all cases. Thus, in all aspects, critical thinking disposition is observed among them. Ultimately, single factor variance analysis, was used to study the role of demographical variables in critical thinking disposition and indep3endent t-test was used for gender variable. Research findings indicated that there is no significant difference between field of education and critical thinking disposition while there is significant difference between gender, age and grades with critical thinking disposition. Conclusion Research findings indicate that the mean of students’ critical thinking disposition is in positive and medium levels. This is consistent with findings by Gharib (2009), Saburi (2012), Zarabin et al (2016) and Folous & Cessarian (2014). However, need to constant training on such kind of thinking is more highlighted. Research findings indicate that there is a significant relationship between average score of critical thinking disposition in such components as mental engagement and cognitive maturity with students’ gender so that its average is higher for girls (3.9) than boys (3.8) while there is no significant relationship for innovativeness. There is no significant association between educational field and critical thinking disposition. It is consistent with findings by Azodi (2010), Saburi Kashani (2012) and Zarabian et al (2016). Research findings indicate that students’ age associates with their critical thinking disposition significantly so that students above 35 years have the highest mean. It is consistent with findings by Azodi et al (2010) and Book et al (2013). Likewise, present study indicated that there is a significant relationship between students’ educational grade and critical thinking disposition so that postgraduates have the highest level of critical thinking disposition. It is consistent with findings by Eslami Akbar (2010) and Safari et al (2012).

Background: Nurses often use the clinical decision-making mechanism. This mechanism is influenced by critical thinking and rational and intuitive decision-making styles. This study’s aim was to determine the levels of rational and intuitive decision-making styles and critical thinking disposition of nurses. Method: It is a prospective and cross-sectional descriptive study. Data were collected between May and August 2023. The study included 355 nurses working at two major hospitals in one of the largest cities in the Central Anatolia region. The data were gathered using a questionnaire consisting of a personal information form, Critical Thinking Disposition Scale and Rational and Intuitive Decision-making Styles Scale.Results: The Critical Thinking Disposition Scale and Rational Decision-making Styles Scale scores of the nurses were above the average and the Intuitive Decision-making Styles Scores were close to the average. A positive and significant correlation has been found between nurses’ critical thinking dispositions and levels of rational and intuitive decision making. In addition, the linear regression analysis shows nurses’ critical thinking tendencies affect their rational decision-making and intuitive decision-making styles.Conclusion: These findings suggest strengthening nurses’ critical thinking could improve both their rational and intuitive decision-making skills, thereby improving patient care outcomes by making effective clinical judgements.

Aim: This study was conducted to determine the effects of free sessions with philosophical sessions on the epistemological beliefs, critical thinking disposition and metacognitive awareness of nursing students taking research course. Method: It was conducted using semi-experimental pretest-posttest design with 177 students. Ethical approval was taken. It used Epistemological Beliefs Scale, Metacognitive Awareness Inventory and Critical Thinking Disposition Scale. Research in Nursing course was implemented in a 10-week program as two hours of theory and two hours of practice. Results: It was found that the posttest Epistemological Beliefs Scale total score, Metacognitive Awareness Inventory total score and was Critical Thinking Disposition Scale total score were significantly higher than their respective pretest total scores (p=0.00). A significant positive relationship was found between the posttest score of Critical Thinking Disposition Scale and posttest score of Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (r=0.452, p=0.000). Conclusion and Suggestions: Free sessions with philosophical sessions were found to help students develop epistemological beliefs, metacognitive skills and critical thinking skills. It is recommended for nursing education to include free sessions in different course programs and to increase research on this subject.

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of a distance learning course in critical thinking on the critical thinking skills and dispositions of university students. The diversification model was adopted in the study, which was carried out in line with the mixed research method, which combines the results of the data obtained by collecting both quantitative and qualitative data and allows comparisons to be made. The data of the study conducted with 30 senior university students were obtained with the "California Critical Thinking Disposition Scale" and open-ended questions about "What is critical thinking" and "Why is critical thinking important". Parametric and non-parametric analysis methods were used in the analysis of the quantitative data obtained from the data collection tools that were transferred to the online environment and applied to the participants before and after the critical thinking course. The content analysis method was used to analyze qualitative data gathered via open-ended questions. As a result of the analyses conducted, it was determined that there was a significant difference between the pre-test and post-test in terms of the participants' critical thinking dispositions. It was determined that there were no significant gender or departmental differences in the participants' critical thinking dispositions. As a result of the content analysis carried out within the framework of open-ended questions, it was determined that there were differences in the views of senior university students towards critical thinking before and after the critical thinking course. Within the framework of the results, it was suggested that more activities and practices for critical thinking should be included in undergraduate courses.

This study aimed to examine the effect of augmented reality game-based learning (ARGBL) on students’ critical thinking disposition and academic achievement in the topic of green chemistry. The research employed a quasi-experimental method with a pretest-posttest design. The sample consisted of 72 tenth-grade students from a senior high school in Jakarta during the 2023/2024 academic year, divided into two classes: one designated as the experimental group and the other as the control group. The critical thinking disposition scale and the academic achievement test were employed to collect the data. The experimental group was taught using ARGBL, while the control group received conventional instruction. The data were analyzed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). The results showed that the implementation of ARGBL positively influenced students’ critical thinking disposition and academic achievement. Students in the experimental group demonstrated higher scores in both critical thinking disposition and academic achievement compared to the control group. It can be concluded that ARGBL is effective in enhancing students’ critical thinking disposition and academic achievement. Based on these findings, it is recommended that teachers adopt ARGBL to improve students’ critical thinking disposition and academic achievement in chemistry.

This study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the Turkish version of Sosu Critical Thinking Disposition Scale (TV-CTDS). The data were gathered from two independent samples consisting of undergraduate and graduate students from four different universities in the Black Sea region of Turkey. After the translation procedure, the psychometric properties of the TV-CTDS, including factor structure, measurement invariance, convergent validity, discriminant validity, and reliability, were investigated. The results of the study revealed that the two-factor model (critical openness and reflective skepticism) of the TV-CTDS presented a better fit to the data than the one-factor model, and two-factor model is invariant across different samples (undergraduate and graduate students) and genders. Also, the TV-CTDS showed convergent validity and discriminant validity across two different samples, and its internal consistency was adequate. Therefore, it can be said that the TV-CTDS can be used by educators, researchers, and professionals to assess undergraduate and graduate students’ critical thinking dispositions in Turkey.

Introduction &amp;Objective: Critical thinking consists of mental processes such as reasoning, analysis, and evaluation. It is an objective super-thinking way open to self-correction and change. The main component of the current education methods is the acquisition of critical thinking. Simulated patient applications in medical education is an effective method that enables the student to acquire cognitive and psychomotor behaviors with active participation in the learning process. The aim of this study is to determine the change in the critical thinking tendencies of the third-year students of Akdeniz University Faculty of Medicine before and after simulated patient applications. Method: Third-year students of Akdeniz University Faculty of Medicine in the 2018-2019 academic year participated in the study. The students were asked to apply the Critical Thinking Disposition scale forms before the simulated patient applications. In the second stage of the study, the scale was reapplied to the students. The scale consists of 49 items. In our study, the results of the change between the first and the second applications of Critical Thinking Disposition scale were compared with the Paired Sample Test. Results &amp;conclusion: A total of 345 students participated in the study. The mean score obtained from the Critical Thinking Disposition scale of the whole group was 191.63 (SD = 21.07) in the fall term and 193.69 (SD = 23.63) in the spring term. Although there was an increase in mean values of CTHD scale, the difference was not statistically significant (t(344)=-1.09, p = 0.277). The multidimensional nature of critical thinking skills and the need for continuity in order to keep this skill sharp are considered effective on this result. Different applications can be added to the training program to develop this skill.

The development and psychometric validation of a Critical Thinking Disposition Scale