Journal
THINKING SKILLS AND CREATIVITY
Volume 43, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
ELSEVIER SCI LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.tsc.2022.101004
Keywords
Critical thinking; English language learners; Psychology-specific critical thinking; assessment; Language Proficiency
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
This study examined the critical thinking skills of undergraduate students in a psychology course and explored the impact of language ability on their performance in different tests. The findings showed that international students were able to improve their performance in subject-specific tests after a year of course, but still had challenges in general critical thinking tests.
Research on critical thinking (CT) has developed over the last several decades to encompass both general CT ability and subject-specific CT, but a paucity of research exists on how this relates to English Language Learners (ELLs). This study examined the CT skills of undergraduate students enrolled in a first-year psychology course at a Canadian university. It examined the extent to which language ability played a role in student performance on standardized CT tests, subjectspecific CT tests, and students' own perspectives on reading self-assessment. In total, 721 students participated in the study, divided into three groups: those with English as a first language (L1), those with English as an additional language but four years of English learning in a Canadian high school (L2c), and those who had English as an additional language who were taught internationally (L2i). Findings from this study showed that L2i students performed lower on Form A of Psychology Specific Critical Thinking Assessment (PS-CTA), but by the end of the yearlong course, they were able to make PS-CTA improvements, allowing them to demonstrate at the same level as their peers. However, L2i students still had significant problems with general CT as measured by the Watson-Glaser Practice Test (WG-PT).
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available