Highlights of the CCTDI:
- Straightforward 75-question survey; relatively inexpensive to administer; takes about 20 minutes to complete (see http://www.insightassessment.com); questionnaire can be completed by paper and pencil or online
- Survey addresses the "dispositional" dimension of critical thinking (as opposed to the "skills" dimension, which is evaluated in the Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST); assesses how students feel they approach these seven qualities: truth seeking, open-mindedness, analytical tendencies, systematic tendencies, critical thinking and self-confidence, inquisitiveness, and maturity
Uses of the CCTDI:
- As a one-time test to gain understanding of how students view themselves as critical thinkers; students’ strengths towards critical thinking are noted and areas for improvement identified
- As a pre- and post-test around a particular curricular or co-curricular experience to study how a student’s attitude toward critical thinking develops in relation to that experience
- Combined with other demographic surveys to examine the relationship between students’ attitudes towards critical thinking and student characteristics (such as socioeconomic status or major)
Liberal Arts Outcomes and the CCTDI:
- Ideal for looking at thinking behaviors like inclination to inquire, effective reasoning, and problem solving
- Valuable for investigating affective characteristics like open-mindedness and cognitive maturity, which play into several larger liberal arts outcomes like intercultural effectiveness and maturity, and probably reflects other character goals like leadership, moral character, and well-being
- Important because assessing these kinds of dispositional characteristics alludes to how students approach learning, thinking, and the growth of their minds; these qualities are at the core of a liberal arts education
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