Abstract
BackgroundCritical thinking is an essential ability for medical students. However, the relationship between parental rearing styles and medical students’ critical thinking disposition has rarely been considered. The aim of this study was to investigate whether parental rearing styles were significant predictors of critical thinking disposition among Chinese medical students.Methods1,075 medical students from the first year to the fifth year attending one of three medical schools in China were recruited via multistage stratified cluster sampling. The Chinese Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory(CTDI-CV) and The Egna Minnen av Barndoms Uppfostran (EMBU) questionnaire were applied to collect data and to conduct descriptive analysis. Stepwise multiple linear regression was used to analyze the data.ResultsThe critical thinking disposition average mean score was 287.44 with 632 participants (58.79%) demonstrating positive critical thinking disposition. Stepwise multiple linear regression analysis revealed that the rearing styles of fathers, including “overprotection”, “emotional warmth and understanding”, “rejection” and “over-interference” were significant predictors of medical students’ critical thinking disposition that explained 79.0% of the variance in critical thinking ability. Rearing styles of mothers including “emotional warmth and understanding”, “punishing” and “rejection” were also found to be significant predictors, and explained 77.0% of the variance.ConclusionsMeaningful association has been evidenced between parental rearing styles and Chinese medical students’ critical thinking disposition. Parental rearing styles should be considered as one of the many potential determinant factors that contribute to the cultivation of medical students’ critical thinking capability. Positive parental rearing styles should be encouraged in the cultivation of children’s critical thinking skills.
Highlights
IntroductionThe relationship between parental rearing styles and medical students’ critical thinking disposition has rarely been considered
Critical thinking is an essential ability for medical students
Instruments and procedures The Chinese Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CTDI-CV) was used to assess medical students’ critical thinking disposition. This questionnaire was modified by Peng [37] according to Facione’s California Critical Thinking Dispositions Inventory (CCTDI ) [38] and has been widely implemented in China [39,40], especially in the field of research involving medical students
Summary
The relationship between parental rearing styles and medical students’ critical thinking disposition has rarely been considered. The aim of this study was to investigate whether parental rearing styles were significant predictors of critical thinking disposition among Chinese medical students. Critical thinking helps doctors evaluate existing knowledge, technology and information critically and make accurate judgments in clinical practice, so as to ensure that patients receive the best treatment possible [6,7,8]. With the development of medicine and the big bang of medical knowledge, critical thinking encourages doctors to challenge apparent certainties and uncover useful information. It is important to encourage medical students’ critical thinking skills, as evidence suggests that it may be highly beneficial to their future careers
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
