scholarly journals Critical Thinking Dispositions of Undergraduate College Students in A Comprehensive University of Mainland China

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 224
Author(s):  
Huarong Ma

This study was undertaken to assess the critical thinking dispositions of undergraduate college students in a comprehensive university of mainland China and examine the roles of gender and major in the subjects’ critical thinking dispositions. An adapted Chinese version of the California Critical Thinking Dispositions Inventory (CCTDI) was used to survey 534 undergraduate students. Statistics revealed that over 3/4 of the subjects were negative in their dispositions to think critically, and no more than 1/4 of them were positive. All the subscale mean scores were between 30-35, indicating an ambivalent attitude to critical thinking. Meanwhile, the subjects were stronger in systematicity, truth-seeking, and self-confidence than in analyticity, inquisitiveness, and cognitive maturity. Besides, males got significantly higher scores in overall critical thinking dispositions, truth-seeking, cognitive maturity, open-mindedness, and justice-orientedness, an added subscale in the Chinese version of CCTDI. Finally, science-engineering students achieved a non-significant higher overall mean score than non-science-engineering students. They also scored higher in seven out of the eight subscales, but the differences were only significant in open-mindedness and justice-orientedness. 

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eser Ordem

Studies on critical thinking (CT) in education have been of paramount importance in recent decades to help individuals develop skills such as analyzing, synthesizing, higher-order thinking, and assessing. In line with such studies, this study aims to examine aspects of critical thinking dispositions of Turkish adult learners of English in a listening/speaking class (N = 17) based on the inventory developed by The California Critical Thinking Dispositions Inventory (CCTDI). The study was in nature idiographic and phenomenographic with content analysis. The findings show that the participants were better in developing the aspects of being inquisitive, truth-seeking, open-minded and confident, while the aspects of systematicity, analyticity, and cognitive maturity were less developed by the participants. These developed skills included the main features of the seven aspects of critical thinking dispositions.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 221258682110469
Author(s):  
Susan K Dennett ◽  
Michael A DeDonno

This quantitative research study compared the critical thinking dispositions of 91 college students studying in a public university in South East Florida. Forty-one students identified as Chinese and 50 students identified as American. The California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTDI) measured these students’ critical thinking dispositions. There were differences between students on the scale of open-mindedness and gender. A dis-ordinal interaction occurred. American males scored lower than American females on the CCTDI scale of open-mindedness. However, the opposite occurred for the Chinese students. Chinese males received a higher score on the CCTDI scale of open-mindedness than Chinese females. These findings are significant for educators and organizations when designing curriculum and workplace training development for leaders. Being open-minded feeds into decision-making and problem-solving are skills which are necessary for leadership. It is helpful to understand which variables impact individual’s disposition to critical thinking so that leadership skills can be developed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Marios Dimitrios Chatzinikolaou ◽  
Andreas Tsirides

Educational researchers incessantly endeavor to address underlying reasons for academic success/failure, and Degree Commitment constitutes a critical sought-after academic outcome regarding college students, which is considerably associated with higher student retention rates. Educational institutions may create effective preventive strategies and interventions for minimizing attrition issues by identifying factors leading to higher Degree Commitment. The aim of the current research was to explore the potential predictive relationship between higher demonstration of college students’ Academic Self-Concept and higher levels of Critical Thinking Dispositions on their commitment of further pursuing their chosen degree. A questionnaire-based survey method was employed, adopting a correlational design on a recruited purposive sample of 120 Greek college students of a privately-owned educational institution. A multiple regression statistical analysis generated a weak positive correlation (9.2%) between the predictors, with Academic Self-Concept being the strongest predictor of Degree Commitment, implying that the combination of the aforementioned academic facets significantly predicts Degree Commitment, but with a small generalization explanatory power to a population sharing common characteristics with the utilized sample. Although the devised model is of minimal practical use, it proposes an initial attempt to construct a holistic model of academic success, while simultaneously highlighting the necessity for developing interventions that robustly target Critical Thinking Dispositions and, most importantly, Academic Self-Concept. Future research may explore factors influencing the predictors under investigation, compare them between students deriving from traditional educational systems and those deriving from international educational systems, and explore alternative factors concerning college success and attrition within various sociocultural contexts.


2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 38-49
Author(s):  
Dennis W. Duncan ◽  
Rainer Haas ◽  
John C. Ricketts

In recent years, the discussion concerning critical thinking and problem solving among college graduates and new industry hires has increased dramatically. A plethora of research has discovered that college graduates entering the workforce are lacking in their ability to problem solve and think critically. These attributes have been called some of the most necessary for an individuals’ success in the 21st century. The purpose of this study was to identify the variance in critical thinking disposition of students (undergraduate and graduate) enrolled in an International course (Global Seminar) using the UF-EMI Critical Thinking Disposition Assessment. Students representing the US, Italy, and Austria participated in this study (N=43). Results indicate that the entire population fell within the typical ranges for UF-EMI scores for all three constructs (Engagement, Cognitive Maturity, and Innovativeness) but would be classified as weak overall. There was however a slight difference in mean scores when comparing the US and European students. American students scored higher than the Italian students for all three constructs and higher than the Austrian students for the Engagement and Innovativeness constructs. These results warrant further research to determine how course content, teaching methodologies, and experiential learning opportunities impact college students’ critical thinking dispositions.


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (2.10) ◽  
pp. 18
Author(s):  
Kurniati Dian ◽  
Zayyadi Moh

The present study aimed at describing the dispositions of students around a coffee plantation in solving algebraic problems, especially those pertaining to fraction and comparison. Critical thinking disposition denotes the initial milestone to developing students’ critical thinking skills. The study investigated four components of critical thinking dispositions, comprising of truth-seeking, open-mindedness, self-confidence, and inquisitiveness. The subjects under investigation were 45 students at the second grade of a junior high school situated around Garahan coffee plantation in Jember district, East Java, Indonesia. The study covered several phases, inter alia, (1) describing problems on Algebra to the students, (2) recording any activities of the research subjects when doing tasks given, (3) analyzing the students’ answer sheets based on four components of critical thinking dispositions, (4) conducting method triangulation projected to confirm the preliminary findings on the students critical thinking dispositions, and (5) determining the students’ critical thinking dispositions based on the results of direct observation, video recording, and interview. The study gained several findings related to the students’ dispositions. First, the students’ tendency in truth-seeking was characterized by their analysis on the problems given on themes regarding coffee. This prevented them from making mistakes as they checked some information, be it known or unknown, as the bases for problem solving. However, not every student was aware of what was unknown about the problem or what was required to solve the problem. Second, their tendency in open-mindedness was evinced by the fact that they were assured of their answer as they related it to their experience in planting coffee. Nevertheless, some students tended to ask their parent when they had to determine the amount of diameter comparison between two logs to be connected. Third, they tended to be confident in solving problems given as they had experienced the activities described in the problem when they assisted their parents in planting coffee, but still some students had yet to be sure of their answers as they lacked the experience in planting coffee. Lastly, they tended to possess sound inquisitiveness concerning various issues pertinent to solving algebraic problems, especially themed on coffee. They acquired the inquisitiveness by observing the actual activity in their environment. Nonetheless, their inquisitiveness could not be generalized to algebraic lessons at school. 


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