Related Experiment Videos
Critical thinking in preclinical course examinations
D A Miller1, J Z Sadler, P C Mohl
1Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas 75235.
Summary
Medical school exams, particularly in subjects like behavioral sciences and pathology, show a positive correlation with critical thinking skills. Objective multiple-choice tests can partially assess these essential abilities.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Critical thinking is a vital skill for medical professionals.
- Assessing critical thinking in medical students is crucial for effective training.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the correlation between preclinical medical school examinations and critical-thinking skills.
- To determine if objective multiple-choice examinations can reflect critical-thinking abilities.
Main Methods:
- Administered the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal (WGCTA) to 196 medical students.
- Correlated WGCTA scores with 25 preclinical course examinations, undergraduate GPAs, medical school GPAs, and MCAT scores.
- Utilized Pearson product-moment correlations to analyze the relationships.
Main Results:
- Sixteen course examinations demonstrated significant positive correlations with the WGCTA.
- Stronger correlations were observed with WGCTA subscales for interpretation, evaluation of arguments, and deduction.
- MCAT scores and first-year GPAs also showed significant positive correlations with critical thinking.
Conclusions:
- Objective multiple-choice examinations can partially assess critical-thinking skills in medical students.
- Findings suggest that preclinical course assessments may offer insights into students' critical thinking capabilities.