Disposition toward critical thinking among occupational therapy students

Area of Science:

• Education
• Psychology

Background:

• Critical thinking is a vital educational outcome.
• Disposition, or internal motivation, significantly impacts critical thinking development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the critical thinking disposition of students at various educational levels.
• To examine the relationship between program duration and critical thinking disposition.
• To identify differences in critical thinking disposition between undergraduate and graduate students.

Main Methods:

• The California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTDI) was administered to 79 students across three educational levels.
• Statistical analysis was used to compare disposition scores based on educational level and program duration.

Main Results:

• No significant differences in overall critical thinking disposition were found related to the length of time spent in the program.
• Significant differences were observed in open-mindedness and maturity of judgment between undergraduate and graduate students.
• A notable difference in the overall disposition to think critically was identified between the two student groups.

Conclusions:

• Student critical thinking disposition is not solely determined by program length.
• Undergraduate students, in particular, may benefit from explicit instruction aimed at fostering critical thinking dispositions.
• The CCTDI is a valuable tool for assessing critical thinking ability and disposition, serving as a baseline or outcome measure.