Online Resources | Annotated Bibliography

Online Resources

California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTDI)
The CCTDI is intended to measure a student’s disposition toward critical thinking. The CCTDI is used for the assessment of seven dispositions toward critical thinking evaluation of groups and programs including professional and graduate programs, college, high school personnel development and in management training.

The Miniature Guide to Critical Thinking Concepts and Tools
(developed by the Critical Thinking Consortium) "Critical thinkers are clear as to the purpose at hand and the question at issue. They question information, conclusions, and points of view. They strive to be clear, accurate, precise, and relevant. They seek to think beneath the surface, to be logical, and fair. They apply these skills to their reading and writing as well as to their speaking and listening. They apply them in history, science, math, philosophy, and the arts; in professional and personal life."

Sonoma State University’s Critical Thinking Resources Site
At this site you will find on-line resources and information on instructional guides (including teaching videos) and lesson plans to help educators implement Critical Thinking in every aspect of their teaching. Sonoma State University’s Center for Critical Thinking developed the site.

Washington State University Critical Thinking Project
This site provides a link to an in house developed critical thinking rubric.

Guide to Rating Critical Thinking
A Critical Thinking Rubric developed by General Education, The Writing Center, and the CTLT, Washington State University.

Defining Critical Thinking
A draft statement by Michael Scriven and Richard Paul for the National Council for Excellence in Critical Thinking.

Recommendations For Departmental Self-Evaluation
Provides an example of a model which a department to characterize the basic mode of thinking integral to an academic field and serve as the starting point for a self-evaluation that will maximize the integration of instruction

Implementation of Principles of Undergraduate Learning
In the context of writing and critical thinking, this Kelley School of Business Report provides answers to such questions as: 1. What is (are) the definitions(s) of critical thinking/writing used in your school? 2. What are the student learning outcomes that are associated with critical thinking/writing in your school? 3. What strategies of techniques exist in your school for moving students forward in their critical thinking/writing skills?

Critical Thinking: Promoting It in the Classroom
An ERIC DIGEST (prepared by M. Carrol Tama) defines critical thinking and discusses why we should  be concerned about critical thinking in our classrooms.

Annotated Bibliography

Anderson, H. (2001). What do pragmatists have to say about critical thinking? Educational Theory 51(2), 209-219. Retrieved April 11, 2002 from Academic Search Premier database.
"Uses Barbara Thayer-Bacon's work, "Transforming Critical Thinking," to consider pragmatism's different stances, redescribing critical thinking and discussing what ironists have to say about critical thinking. The article concludes that what enables the different stances are a set of academic protocols that define what is and what is not academic work. (SM)"

Anderson, T., Howe, C., & Soden, R. (2001). Peer interaction and the learning of critical thinking skills in further education students. Instructional Science, 29(1), 1-32.
"A teaching programme is reported in which critical thinking skills (in the sense of reasoned justification of arguments; see Kuhn, 1991, 1993) were taught. The principal aims of the study were to develop, implement and evaluate a programme for teaching evidence-based justification to vocational education students in Further Education colleges. Teaching was via modelling and peer-based critiquing exercises in the context of the students' project work. Eighty-four Further Education college students underwent a 10-session teaching intervention which dovetailed with their Additional Assessment integrative work project. Students took part in peer-based exercises in which they learned to critique imaginary examples of project outlines and plans, followed by similar peer-based critiquing of each others' proposed projects. Analysis of the students' dialogues with each other indicated that they had learned the importance of justifying arguments, and content analysis of their written work indicated that they engaged in justification of their arguments to a significantly greater degree than control groups. Several key variables in the dialogues correlated positively with justification in the written work, suggesting that the dialogue had impacted on the written work. However, justification tended to be of a weak kind (using anecdotes or experience-based generalisations), and strong (i.e. formal research-based) evidence remained relatively infrequent and sometimes inappropriately used. A psychometric test of general critical thinking skills showed no evidence of transfer of learning." Abstract copyrighted by the publisher.

Bauer, K. W. (2001). The effect of participation in undergraduate research on critical thinking and reflective judgment. 41st Annual Meeting of the Association for Institutional Research, Long Beach, CA.
"This study examined differences in personality type for college freshmen and the effects of participation in undergraduate research on critical thinking and reflective judgment scores. Participants were 266 undergraduate students. While correlations between personality and the thinking measures were low and of little practical significance, a repeated measures analysis revealed a two-way interaction between research participation and major for change in critical thinking score. A second repeated measures analysis with simple contrasts revealed a two-way interaction between research participation and gender for change in reflective judgment score. Findings thus indicate that participation in undergraduate research affects critical thinking and reflective judgment for some students. The paper also discuses implications and limitations of the study. (Contains 5 figures, 4 tables, and 39 references.) (SLD)"

Biesta, G., & Stams, J. (2001). Critical thinking and the question of critique: Some lessons from deconstruction. Studies in Philosophy and Education 20(1), 57-74.
"Provides some philosophical groundwork for contemporary debates about the idea of critical thinking. Discusses three styles of critique: critical dogmatism, transcendental critique (Karl-Otto Apel), and deconstruction (Jacques Derrida). Argues that while transcendental critique is able to solve some of the problems of the dogmatic approach to criticality, deconstruction provides the most coherent and self-reflexive conception of critique. (KS)" ERIC

Borg, J. R., & Borg, M.O. (2001). Teaching critical thinking in interdisciplinary economics courses. College Teaching, 49(1), 20-25. Retrieved September 27, 2001 from Wilson Select Plus database.
"A team-teaching interdisciplinary approach to teaching critical thinking to economics students is described. Employed in an interdisciplinary honors course on modern economic and cultural revolutions and an interdisciplinary honors course on the economics of human ecology, this approach had a positive effect on the critical thinking skills of students. One of the first indicators of this positive impact was the high quality of classroom discussion. Students also learned to consider a wider variety of options than they had before. Furthermore, both faculty and students seemed to like these interdisciplinary courses. More information on the use of this approach in these courses is provided." Abstract from Education Abstracts

Dennis, N. (2001). Using inquiry methods to foster information literacy partnerships. Reference Services Review, 29(2), 122-131.
"Discusses the role of academic librarians in expanding information literacy to teach critical thinking; describes the New Media Classroom (NMC) that teaches how to use primary sources on the Web; and shows applications of NMC inquiry activities in a library setting, including a case study that involved collaboration between the librarian and faculty. (LRW)" ERIC

Dugdale, A. (2001). Uses of error: False knowledge and ignorance. Lancet, 358(9279), 414. Retrieved September 26, 2001 from Academic Search Premier database.
"Reports on the author's use of multiple true-false questions on exams when teaching pediatrics at an Asian university. Discussion of emphasizing the danger of false knowledge and error by incorporating penalties into examinations; Causes of medical error; Suggestion that students and examiners might develop critical attitudes from exams that allow for admitted ignorance and penalizes error."

Dundes, L. (2001). Small group debates: fostering critical thinking in oral presentations with maximal class involvement. Teaching Sociology, 29(2), 237-243.
"A small group debate technique is presented. The technique provides students with significant practice speaking in front of others and experience in devising a cogent argument with strong supporting data, as well as fostering a sense of camaraderie among students and allowing them to learn about the challenges of oral persuasion and critical thinking. Moreover, a nexus for discussing controversies in a format wherein all students participate by both discussing the material and by evaluating the debaters is offered by the small group interaction." Education Abstracts.

ERICAE. (1997). Question/Problem: Critical thinking skills - definitions and assessment, [WWW]. ERICAE. Available: http://ericae.net/faqs/crit_tnk.htm [2001, September 27].
Includes links to ERIC Digests, ERIC Citations & Abstracts re: Assessment of Critical Thinking, ERIC/AE Test Locator, Critical Thinking Across the Curriculum Project, and ERIC Documents Citations for Definitions of Critical Thinking

Giancarlo, C. A., & Facione, P.A. (2001). A look across four years at the disposition toward critical thinking among undergraduate students. The Journal of General Education, 50(1), 29-55.
"A study examined whether the positive characterological attributes of critical thinking (CT) increased in strength as a function of the undergraduate educational experience. A total of 1,117 students attending a private, four-year liberal arts university participated in the study. The California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTDI) was used to assess critical thinking dispositions among a group of freshman students in 1992 and among a sample consisting largely of seniors in 1996. Results showed that critical thinking disposition scores remained stable or increased among the 147 students who completed the CCTDI in 1992 and again in 1996. Truthseeking, CT self-confidence, and the overall CCTDI score saw significant increases in mean differences. Average scores for the open-mindedness and inquisitiveness scales were high in 1992 and remained high in 1996. Students maintained a strong disposition toward approaching problems with open, tolerant, and curious minds throughout their college years." Education Abstracts

Ikuenobe, P. (2001). Questioning as an epistemic process of critical thinking. Educational Philosophy & Theory, 33(3/4).
"Presents arguments and the theoretical foundation for the suitability of questioning as an epistemic process of critical thinking. Notion and logic of questioning; Open-ended logic of questioning; Functions of questioning." Academic Search Premier.

Klooster, D. J., Steele, J.L., & Bloem, P.L. (Eds.). (2001). Ideas without boundaries: International education reform through reading and writing for critical thinking. Newark, DE: International Reading Association. Retrieved September 27, 2001 from E*Subscribe database.
"In the years since its origin in 1997, the Reading and Writing for Critical Thinking (RWCT) project has become a wellspring of human stories about teaching and changing, about reaching across cultural and language divides to find deep conceptual and interpersonal harmonies that lead to reform. This collection presents chapters written by educators who have participated in RWCT since its beginnings, explaining first-hand the lessons learned by those involved and offering a truly cross-cultural perspective. Under Section 1, Goals and Contexts for Educational Reform, are the following chapters: (1) "The Reading and Writing for Critical Thinking Project: A Framework for School Change" (Jeannie L. Steele); (2) "The Political and Historical Context for Educational Reform in Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia" (Kurtis S. Meredith); and (3) "Interactive Literacy Education, Engaged Citizenship, and Open Societies" (Charles Temple). Under Section 2, How Teachers and Students Change, are the following chapters: (4) "In Their Own Voices: Reflection as an Agent of Teacher Change in Estonia" (Maureen McLaughlin and MaryEllen Vogt); (5) "Multiple Traditions and Open Lessons: Kazakstani and American Educators Consider Teacher Reflection" (David Landis and others); (6) "Documenting Critical Thinking Lessons through Teaching Cases: Dilemmas and Achievements of Russian Teachers in Estonia" (Janet C. Richards and others); (7) "'The Atmosphere Is Completely Different': Students' Perceptions of RWCT in Action in Macedonian Classrooms" (Alison Preece and others); and (8) "'I Feel Like a Bird': How the RWCT Project Supports Motivations" (Jodi Patrick Holschuh, Cynthia Hynd, Penny Oldfather). Section 3, How Practices and Paradigms Change, contains the following chapters: (9) "The Teaching of Writing in the Czech Republic" (Zuzana Saffkova); (10) "School Libraries as Laboratories for Critical Thinking" (Bozena Blazkova and Patricia L. Bloem); and (11) "The Russian Commitment to Theory and the American Orientation to Practice: A Healthy Tension" (Carol Beers and others). Section 4, Lessons for Educational Reform from the RWCT Project, contains these chapters: (12) "Lessons from Abroad: What North American Educators Can Learn from Central and Eastern European Education" (Patricia L. Bloem); and (13) "An Experiment in Boldness: Accomplishments and Challenges in the Reading and Writing for Critical Thinking Project" (David J. Klooster). (NKA)"

Lawson, A. E. (2001). Promoting creative and critical thinking skills in college biology. Bioscene 27(1), 13-24.
"Presents a model of creative and critical thinking in which analogical reasoning is used to link planes of thought and generate ideas that are then tested by employing an "if/and/then" pattern of reasoning. Presents data suggesting that such thinking skills develop first in familiar and observable contexts before they can be used in less familiar and unobservable contexts. (Author/SAH)" ERIC

Le Roux, J. (2001). Re-examining global education's relevance beyond 2000. Research in Education, 65, 70-80.
"For the first time in human history, contemporary educational needs require global education toward optimal and skilful global citizenship. In order to help students to view and appreciate diversity from a global viewpoint, schools must provide learning activities that enhance critical thinking, international and intercultural human relations, civic responsibility, and social sensitivity. A definition of global education is presented, and information on how to teach using a global perspective is provided." Education Abstracts

Lynch, D., Vernon, R.F., & Smith, M.L. (2001). Critical thinking and the Web. Journal of Social Work Education, 37(2), 381-386. Retrieved September 27, 2001 from Academic Search Premier database.
"TechNotes is designed to bring to readers' attention new developments in technology of relevance to social work education. In this second column, the authors recommend strategies for teaching students to critically evaluate online sources." Abstract copyrighted by the publisher. Education Abstracts

Masucci, M. (2001). The evolution of critical service learning for education: Four problematics, ERIC. Retrieved April 16, 2002 from E*Subscribe database.
"Service learning is valuable in connecting students with the world outside the classroom, resulting in a more just society for the future. However, many so-called service learning projects develop no clear link between service and learning, and lose their potential for turning students into agents of social change. Using the National Association of Secondary School Principals/Quest model for service learning as a guide, and applying principles of cultural studies and experiential learning, a critical service learning framework was devised composed of four steps: pre-reflection on oneself to achieve "political clarity," immersion in social theory and theorizing, action that includes dialog with the partnering organization, and critical reflection to integrate and personally contextualize the experience of service learning. Four areas are crucial to developing effective critical service learning. First, this framework should sharpen critical thinking skills that will transfer to daily life, particularly in areas of social difference. Second, introducing teacher candidates to critical service learning can equip them with the critical thinking skills they will be fostering in students. Third, care must be taken by teachers to foster an environment of tolerance and respect, rather than paternalism, charity, or pity. Finally, the practical implementation of the framework can happen right now in various ways. (Contains 20 references.) (TD)"

McCarthy-Tucker, S. (2001). Developing student critical thinking skills through teaching psychology: An interview with Claudio S. Hutz. Teaching of Psychology, 28(1), 72-76.
"An interview with Claudio S. Hutz, dean of Instituto de Psicologia at Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Hutz discusses the development of critical thinking skills through the teaching of psychology." Education Abstracts

Mintzes, J. J., Wandersee, J.H., & Novak, J.D. (2001). Assessing understanding in biology. Journal of Biological Education 35(3), 118-124. Retrieved April 11, 2002 from Academic Search Premier database.
"Discusses several new assessment strategies that encourage meaningful learning and conceptual understanding in biological science. Introduces evaluation and measurement techniques that help students assimilate well-integrated, strongly cohesive frameworks of interrelated concepts as a way of facilitating 'real understanding' of natural phenomena. (Contains 20 references.) (Author/YDS)"

Morrison, S., & Walsh, K. (2001). Writing multiple-choice test items that promote and measure critical thinking. Journal of Nursing Education, 40(1), 17-24. Retrieved September 27, 2001 from Wilson Select Plus database.
"Faculties are concerned about measurement of critical thinking especially since the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission cited such measurement as a requirement for accreditation (NLNAC, 1997). Some writers and researchers(Alfaro-LeFevre, 1995; Blat, 1989; McPeck, 1981, 1990) describe the need to measure critical thinking within the context of a specific discipline. Based on McPeck's position that critical thinking is discipline-specific, guidelines for developing multiple choice test items as a means of measuring critical thinking within the discipline of nursing are discussed. Specifically, criteria described by Morrison, Smith, and Britt (1996) for writing critical-thinking multiple-choice test items are reviewed and explained for promoting and measuring critical thinking." Abstract copyrighted by the publisher.

Ngeow, K., & Kong, Y-S (2001). Learning to learn: Preparing teachers and students for problem-based learning, ERIC. Retrieved April 16, 2002 from E*Subscribe database.
"Problem-based learning (PBL) is an educational approach that challenges students to "learn to learn"--students work cooperatively in groups to seek solutions to real-world problems and, more importantly, to develop skills to become self-directed learners. PBL is unique in its integral emphasis on core content along with problem solving. Within the context of reading in the PBL classroom, learning thus becomes much more than the process of mere knowledge seeking. Students develop critical thinking abilities by constantly relating what they read to what they want to do with the information. This digest discusses some of the challenges in learning that students face, and identifies Web resources that teachers can use to support student learning. The digest considers scaffolding, cooperative learning skills, inquiry skills, reflection skills, and assessment, all within the context of "learning to learn." (NKA)

O'Connor, J. E. (2001). Reading, writing, and critical viewing: coordinating skill development in history learning. The History Teacher, 34(2), 183-192. Retrieved September 27, 2001 from Wilson Select Plus database.
"The writer discusses a teaching approach in which movie and television viewing enlivens regular history lessons while encouraging students to develop essential critical thinking skills. The approach involves the classroom analysis of movie and television documents using the general methodology usually applied to more traditional historical documents. Each visual document is first analyzed in terms of its content, its production, and its reception. It is then considered in the context of one or more of four basic frameworks for historical analysis: as a depiction of history, as evidence for social and cultural history, as evidence for historical fact, and as evidence for the history of film and television. Sources that the writer suggests can be used in this approach include a movie entitled The Return of Martin Guerre, a television documentary called Longitude, an interview called When Things Fall Apart, and documentary designed for the classroom entitled When Ireland Starved." Education Abstracts

Parfitt, M. (2001, March 14-17). Critical thinking and the historical imagination. Paper presented at the 52nd Annual Meeting of the Conference on College Composition and Communication, Denver, CO. Retrieved September 27, 2001 from E*Subscribe database.
"Most educators' ideas about academic discourse and critical thinking are confined by social constructionist assumptions. Working with historical texts, in such a way that these texts empower students to imagine alternative futures, opens up the freshman writing course to three-dimensional critical thinking. Freshmen at one particular college must take a social science course in which they read C. Wright Mills, the influential sociologist who coined the terms "power elite" and "sociological imagination," among others. And the concept of "historical imagination" owes a great deal to C. Wright Mills. The term "historical" is preferred only because the intention is to broaden the concept and to throw the emphasis on a temporal dimension of reading and writing that has suffered from neglect. The very phrase "academic discourse" diverts attention from the historical--academic speech refers to a particular linguistic system with its own codes and structures, and teaching academic discourse is teaching these synchronic codes rather than entering a diachronic conversation. Academics routinely draw on the work of a recognizable intellectual predecessor and apply it, adapt it, or revise it to fill a contemporary felt need. Lytton Strachey's "Eminent Victorians" is an example of a general truth: that the historical imagination is not really concerned with the past as past; it uses the past to address the present and reinvent the future. (NKA)" Abstract from Education Abstracts

Pascarella, E., Palmer, B., & Moye, M. (2001). Do diversity experiences influence the development of critical thinking? Journal of College Student Development, 42(3), 257-271.
"A study examined the net impacts of a wide range of individual diversity experiences on a standardized measure of critical thinking skills. Students from 18 four-year and five two-year colleges and universities located in 16 states throughout the country participated. Results revealed that first- and third-year critical thinking was significantly and positively influenced by a number of different diversity experiences. This suggests that the development of critical thinking in college students is fostered by the challenges presented by diverse college environments and the exposure to different worldviews. Results also indicated that different experiences affected two- and four-year college students and the various racial and gender subgroups in different ways, as well as influencing critical thinking at different times in students' collegiate experiences. The implications of the findings for policy and practice are considered." Education Abstracts

Redding, D. A. (2001). Critical thinking disposition as it relates to academic achievement in baccalaureate nursing education. Nurse Educator, 26(3), 125-127.
"A study examined the relationship between freshman nursing students' critical-thinking disposition as measured by the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory, their composite scores on the American College Testing (ACT) examination, their high school percentile rank (HSPR), and their cumulative grade point average (GPA) in nursing education by the end of the sophomore year. Results indicated a positive relationship between GPA and a combination of critical-thinking disposition, ACT, and HSPR, although no relationship was identified between critical-thinking disposition and GPA. Important differences that may help to explain the results uncovered when the nature of the study was compared to the nature of earlier research are presented, and a causal model incorporating relationships supported by the results is provided." Education Abstracts

Tsui, L. (2001). Faculty attitudes and the development of students' critical thinking. The Journal of General Education, 50(1), 1-28.
"A study explored faculty attitudes associated with the development of students' critical thinking. Interviews and classroom observations were carried out at four purposefully chosen case study institutions. Results indicated that faculty needed to have confidence in students' capability for higher-order thinking in order to enhance their critical thinking skills, that success in developing students' cognitive skills relied upon faculty enthusiasm for teaching, and that the development of critical thinking appeared to be affected by whether faculty members perceived teaching as a process of mutual learning. Professors were more likely to opt for active learning methods that appeared to elicit greater practice of critical thinking skills from students if they believed that students could contribute to in-class learning. These findings yielded several practice and policy implications for higher education institutions concerning the facilitation of student cognitive development." Education Abstracts

Van Eerden, K. (2001). Using critical thinking vignettes to evaluate student learning. Nursing and Health Care Perspectives, 22(5), 231-234.
"In an associate degree nursing program, students role play nurse-client interactions using case study prompts. The vignettes are designed to represent complex practice situations and allow students to demonstrate critical thinking and nursing skills. (SK)" ERIC

Vaske, J. M. (2001). Critical thinking in adult education: An elusive quest for a definition of the field, Unpublished dissertation, Drake University: 260. Retrieved April 16, 2002 from E*Subscribe database.
"Abstract: A study attempted to derive the meaning of critical thinking in adult education through exploration of graduate faculty members` perceptions and perceived practices of critical thinking in adult education. Grounded theory methodology was used to explain the meaning of critical thinking to adult educators. The primary data sources were unstructured interviews with 12 adult educators who currently teach or have previously taught adult education courses in institutions in the United States that offer graduate degrees in adult education. Other data sources included relevant documents and field notes. Data were analyzed and coded using the constant comparative method. The analysis of data uncovered four themes based on participants` perceptions: the goals of adult education; conceptualizations of critical thinking; impacts on teaching; and importance of critical thinking in adult education. Four conclusions were drawn: (1) there are conflicting and contested goals of adult education; (2) there is little agreement about the conceptualization of critical thinking by graduate faculty in adult education; (3) graduate faculty in adult education may or may not be fostering critical thinking skills in their students; and (4) what matters in adult education may not be critical thinking but critical reflection. Further research on the needs for critical thinking in adult education and the possibility of moving from individual development to social development as the goal of adult education is suggested. (Contains 248 references.)(Author/KC)"

West, E. A. (2001). Incorporating critical thinking exercises and clinical case scenarios through time in the classroom. Nurse Educator, 26(3), 141, 152.
"The writer describes how she incorporated the critical thought exercises and clinical case scenarios featured in the workbook Strategies, Techniques and Approaches to Thinking: Case Studies in Clinical Nursing, by DeCastillo, through time in her junior level adult medical/surgical nursing course. She extrapolated from the case scenarios to create a "big picture" case study in which three to five of the scenarios previously presented in the class are all assigned to the student, who is asked to prioritize and plan care for the patients." Education Abstracts.

Williams, K., Wise, S.L., & West, R.F. (2001). Multifaceted measurement of critical thinking skills in college students. Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Seattle, WA.
"This study was conducted to measure the development of critical thinking in college students through the creation of instruments to measure critical thinking skills. A Critical Thinking Assessment (CTA) was developed based on other such instruments and the literature. This instrument was tested in a pilot study involving 750 incoming university freshmen and a subsequent study of the revised instrument involving 730 sophomores. The CTA was designed to measure four skill areas: analysis, evaluation, inference, and interpretation. An instrument to measure student dispositions, a shortened version of the measure of actively open-minded thinking (AOT) of K. Stanovich and R. West (1997), was administered to the same students. The Ways We Think (WWT) metacognition evaluation was administered to 196 sophomores in February 2001. A Writing Rubric (CTWRITE) is also under development. In spite of the limitations of sample size and the possibility that the sample may not generalize beyond James Madison University, the data indicate that the CTA, the AOT, and the WWT measures demonstrate adequate reliability for making group-level inferences. The psychometric properties of these instruments are equal to, if not better, than other instruments measuring similar domains. (Contains 31 references, 4 figures, and 6 tables.) (SLD)"

Youngblood, N., & Beitz, J.M. (2001). Developing critical thinking with active learning strategies. Nurse Educator, 26(1), 39-42.
"The development of students' critical thinking abilities is one of the greatest challenges facing contemporary nurse educators, especially those teaching graduate nursing students. Active learning techniques are suggested to promote critical thinking development. The authors describe how active learning strategies nurtured critical thinking processes in a group of adult nurse practitioner students." Abstract copyrighted by the publisher. Education Abstracts