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Critical thinking is a unifying goal of modern education. While past research has mostly examined the efficacy of a single instructional approach to teaching critical thinking, recent literature has begun discussing mixed teaching approaches. The present study examines three modes of instruction, featuring the direct instruction approach and the inquiry-based approach in different sequences and proportions, in enhancing Chinese secondary student's critical thinking performance. A total of 651 Grade 12 students participated in an 18-hour intervention with pre- and post-intervention measures on critical thinking performance and critical thinking dispositions. Specifically, critical thinking assessments utilizing different response format were used. Those who received training showed greater improvement on at least one of the critical thinking assessments compared to those who received no training. Participants' performances with regards to different critical thinking assessments are discussed. Benefits of adopting more than one instructional approach to teaching critical thinking are highlighted.

Two studies were carried out to examine the relationship between epistemic beliefs and critical thinking. In the first study, 138 Chinese undergraduates completed the adapted Epistemic Beliefs Inventory (EBI) and the Halpern Critical Thinking Assessment Using Everyday Situations. Their cognitive ability and thinking dispositions were also measured. Results showed that other than cognitive ability, the belief that knowledge is certain was most related to thinking performance. In the second study, 111 undergraduates read a passage on a controversial issue and were asked to indicate their position, explain the reasoning behind, and rate their confidence in judgment. They were then presented relevant counterarguments and asked to respond to them. Participants were also administered the adapted EBI. There was clear evidence that those believing knowledge to be certain exhibited poorer two-sided thinking and a stronger tendency to devaluate or ignore counterarguments. Implications for the enhancement of critical thinking are discussed. (Contains 7 tables.)

The need to cultivate students' use of metacognitive strategies in critical thinking has been emphasized in the related literature. The present study aimed at examining the role of metacognitive strategies in critical thinking. Ten university students with comparable cognitive ability, thinking disposition and academic achievement but with different levels of critical thinking performance participated in the study (five in the high-performing group and five in the low-performing group). They were tested on six thinking tasks using think-aloud procedures. Results showed that good critical thinkers engaged in more metacognitive activities, especially high-level planning and high-level evaluating strategies. The importance of metacognitive knowledge as a supporting factor for effective metacognitive regulation was also revealed. The contribution of metacognitive strategies to critical thinking and implications for instructional practice are discussed. (Contains 3 tables.)

Abstract: Two studies were carried out to examine the relationship between epistemic beliefs and critical thinking. In the first study, 138 Chinese undergraduates completed the adapted Epistemic Beliefs Inventory (EBI) and the Halpern Critical Thinking Assessment Using Everyday Situations. Their cognitive ability and thinking dispositions were also measured. Results showed that other than cognitive ability, the belief that knowledge is certain was most related to thinking performance. In the second study, 111 undergraduates read a passage on a controversial issue and were asked to indicate their position, explain the reasoning behind, and rate their confidence in judgment. They were then presented relevant counterarguments and asked to respond to them. Participants were also administered the adapted EBI. There was clear evidence that those believing knowledge to be certain exhibited poorer two-sided thinking and a stronger tendency to devaluate or ignore counterarguments. Implications for the enhancement of critical thinking are discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Students are faced with an ever-increasing amount of information everyday. Teaching them how to select and utilize the information so obtained is therefore of paramount importance. In this research with 401 Secondary 6 (Grade 12) students, we compared the effectiveness of the direct instruction and issue inquiry methods. The latter can be conducted through the analyses of popular films and TV programs and is the approach adopted by the Hong Kong new senior secondary school curriculum. Results showed that, as compared to the control group, both approaches were able to enhance students' critical thinking competence. Furthermore, the research also indicated that teachers should not underestimate the benefits of direct instruction. Under systematic instruction and with good summaries, students can grasp the main content and transfer the skills to new situations easily. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Dispositional factors have been suggested to affect individuals’ critical thinking performance. The relative and combined effects of thinking dispositions and cognitive ability on the critical thinking performance of a group of 137 Chinese undergraduates were examined. Participants were administered the Need for Cognition Scale, Openness to Experience and Conscientiousness Subscales of the NEO Five Factor Inventory as well as the Concern for Truth Scale. Cognitive ability and critical thinking performance were respectively estimated with the WAIS-III Verbal Comprehension Index and the Halpern Critical Thinking Assessment Using Everyday Situations. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that only the disposition of concern for truth accounted for unique additional variance in critical thinking beyond that explained by cognitive ability. The findings are discussed in the light of cultural factors affecting critical thinking in the Chinese context. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]