The study compared the effect of two adaptations of a scientific article on students' comprehension and use of scientific inquiry skills. One adaptation preserved as much as possible the canonical form of the original article (APL, Adapted Primary Literature) and the other was written in a more narrative mode typical of secondary literature (SL).…

Conceptual and empirical research needs in the areas of the generalizability of critical thinking (inductive inference) and the evaluation of critical thinking ability are discussed. A combined effort of philosophers, psychologists, and subject matter specialists is suggested. (TJH)

Reviews the research literature on critical thinking, touching on the nature of and need for critical thinking and ensuing action, relevant findings of psychological research, the context of thought, issues in test construction, the diagnosis of thinking problems, and the need for research into the teaching of critical thinking. (PGD)

A long-standing goal of science education is teaching students to be intellectually independent of scientific experts. This article proposes that this goal be abandoned as impossible to attain, and that it be replaced by a goal of intellectual communalism between scientists and nonscientists. (LZ)

Observation statements are characterized as being: (1) dependent upon the human senses or other sensory apparatus; (2) specific descriptions' (3) made by speakers who offer as the primary support for their statements the events or things which stimulated their making the statements; (4) used as the foundations for knowledge; and (5) easily…

The verbalized thinking of two sixth grade children while reading is analyzed using schema theory. An outline of a critical thinking theory is given and contrasted with schema theory. Conclusions for reading theoreticians are discussed. (MT)

Reviews selected research, widely-used commercial tests, and recent literature on critical thinking. States that evaluation of critical thinking processes should encompass more than simple tests. Concludes with six guidelines for evaluating critical thinking. (JDH)

Discusses the generalizability of critical thinking and the disposition to think critically. Argues that verbal reports of examinees' thinking on multiple-choice tests can explain the reasoning behind their answers and, thus, can be used to assess the inability to make credibility judgments. (FMW)

Describes methodology for using verbal reports of thinking to develop and validate multiple-choice tests of critical thinking. Procedure includes devising normative models of thinking for each item; collecting verbal reports of thinking from samples of subjects; using normative models to rate quality of thinking; comparing quality of thinking to…

A study examined the effect of verbal reporting of students' thinking on their performance during an examination. Subjects, 343 high school seniors, were randomly divided into 4 experimental groups, and a different procedure for eliciting students' thinking during a critical thinking test was used for each group. A control group took the same test…

This report describes a methodology for using verbal reports of thinking to develop and validate multiple-choice tests of critical thinking. These verbal reports of individuals' thinking on draft items of multiple-choice critical thinking tests can be used systematically to provide evidence of the thinking processes elicited by such tests, and in…

Examines effects of 5 test-format differences on performance of 15 critical-thinking measures. Scores of 172 Canadian high school students on all measures generated a correlation matrix that was best accounted for by a 5-factor model postulating critical-thinking, context, and credibility judgment factors. Multiple-choice and constructed-response…

A methodology for developing multiple-choice critical thinking tests is described, which attempts to overcome certain problems of validity and fairness associated with such tests. It is concluded that direct evidence on test validity should be gathered using verbal reports of students' thinking on trial items. (TJH)

The problems of validity and fairness involved in multiple-choice critical thinking tests can be lessened by using verbal reports of examinees' thinking during the process of developing such tests in order to retain only those items which rely on critical thinking skills to obtain the correct answer. Multiple-choice testing can lead to unfair…

The relevance of verbal reports of thinking for validating multiple-choice critical thinking tests was examined. Results from 342 senior high school students in Newfoundland (Canada) indicate that verbal reports can meet a necessary condition of validation data and collecting data does not alter thinking and performance. (SLD)