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In recent years, Vietnam has witnessed the emergence of numerous innovative approaches to English language instruction. One such method gaining traction is the integration of debates as a means to augment students' communication skills and cultivate critical thinking abilities. This study seeks to investigate university students' attitudes toward incorporating debate into their academic curriculum. The research was conducted with first-year students at Swinburne Vietnam, and data were collected through semi-structured interviews. The results illuminate the suitability, advantages, disadvantages, and areas for improvement in optimizing debate as an effective educational tool. By highlighting both the strengths and weaknesses, this research contributes to the ongoing enhancements of debate practices, fostering continuous development and refinement of this pedagogical approach in Vietnam's educational landscape.

This investigation delves into the comparative reticence and passive participation tendencies among engineering students from Malaysia and Vietnam, challenging the prevailing pedagogical paradigms that prioritize vocal engagement and analytical prowess in educational forums. Through a meticulous phenomenographic qualitative analysis of 16 students from two private tertiary institutions, this study unveils the profound influence of ingrained cultural hierarchies and the authoritative educator archetype on the students' hesitance to initiate inquiries in academic settings. The findings illuminate the pivotal role of educator responsiveness in either fostering or hindering student engagement and the development of critical analytical faculties. Proposing pedagogical strategies aimed at nurturing an educational milieu conducive to active participation and critical thinking for South East Asian learners, this research extends its implications to a broader academic discourse on culturally responsive teaching methodologies that promote inclusivity and active learning across diverse educational landscapes.

The quality of products from the causal mapping process and the effect of factors related to causal map quality are unlikely to be the same for students at different educational levels. However, there is a lack of studies that provide insights into causal maps constructed by primary school students to reveal appropriate strategies. This study conducted an analysis of 32 causal maps constructed by primary school students to explore the quality of these products as well as the effect of prior knowledge and causal reasoning process on causal map quality. The findings suggested that it is quite possible for primary school students to construct quality causal maps. The results also indicated that students with higher prior knowledge produced higher-quality causal maps regardless of the causal reasoning process used by these students. In contrast, the causal reasoning process was found to have no significant effect on students' causal map quality.

This paper denotes the findings from an action research project, which applied problem-based learning (PBL) in linguistics courses in an MA TESOL program in Vietnam. The project aimed to study the extent to which the use of problem-based tasks in semantic courses could promote students' employment of higher-order thinking skills in their learning. It was found that the PBL approach was specifically appropriate in promoting higher-order thinking skills for students with passive learning habits in such Confucian heritage cultures as Vietnam. With well-designed problem-based tasks and adequate tutoring, students learned how to use higher-order thinking skills to facilitate their learning; how to stay more focused on the completion process of problem-based tasks; and how to be motivated to engage in learning activities. In addition, some students were encouraged to follow the same PBL approach in their own teaching practice. Problem-based tasks which took place at a fixed time during class seemed to cause students to lose interest. In addition, a lack of adequate job experience might also have limited the effectiveness and overall success of the problem-based tasks.

Purpose: In this study, we presented the Design Thinking model called DITC (Design Thinking in Class) and conducted an experiment during one month with 197 engineering students at Hanoi University of Technology (HUST) to determine how this model could aid in the growth of problem solving and teamwork mindset in a flipped classroom. Method: A Design Thinking mindset questionnaire was given to 197 participants before and after this model was applied. A t-test was used to analyze the data. Findings: the DTIC model fostered students' mindsets such as empathy, holistic view, problem reframing, and teamwork. Students showed very positive feedback and reviews on the model. Implications to Research and Practice: DITC can assist students in grasping Design Thinking concepts, allowing them to understand real-world problems more effectively. This model can be used to support teamwork and problem-solving skills for online learning environments, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. We also included some suggestions for incorporating Design Thinking into the classroom so that this model can be applied more widely.

In Vietnam, middle or high-ranking leaders and managers are required to have knowledge of politics. Those who hold leadership roles in both the private and public sectors should master a solid knowledge of political science. This study was conducted to learn about the intrinsic motivation of learners in Vietnam towards participating in an advanced political science program for future leaders. The study found that learners' intrinsic motivation to participate in a political science program is influenced by their interest in the subject matter, their belief in its relevance to their lives, and their desire to develop critical thinking skills. Additionally, the study identifies a number of factors that can enhance or detract from learners' intrinsic motivation, including teaching methods, course content, and assessment practices. A questionnaire designed with a quantitative method was used to collect data from 91 future leaders who were studying advanced politics at an academy of politics in Vietnam. The results show that they were highly motivated to participate in this program (M = 4.19). Perceived interest or enjoyment (M = 4.58), effort (M = 4.59), perceptions of the program values (M = 4.54), and relatedness (M = 4.54) were encouraging them to learn political science. Moreover, the learners did not experience any pressure or anxiety while taking part in this program (M = 2.46). This study shows that even though most people think political science is dry and mechanical, there are ways to keep learners motivated to learn.

In the era of developing technology, especially the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the field of education is witnessing heavy implementation of emerging technologies for teaching and learning, including applications, software, and online courses. However, any piece of technology would bring both advantages and drawbacks. Therefore, blended learning has caught the attention and consideration of all the people involved. This study investigated the impacts of blended learning on writing skills for university students, aiming to figure out the effectiveness and students' attitude towards this study mode. Fifty-six pre-intermediate students with little or no formal instructions on how to utilize technology in learning essay writing were selected. A combination of experimental design and questionnaires was used, giving the treatment participants alternative learning experiences through a variety of technology applications beside the traditional method. Data from pre-tests and post-tests taken from the eight-week period revealed that students in the experimental groups outperformed those in the control group on the aspects of topic development, essay organization, and lexical usage. Results of the questionnaires delivered at the end of the course showed very positive feedback towards this blended mode in terms of effectiveness, involvement and collaboration. Yet, some drawbacks reported by the participants were worth our mindfulness and consideration when applying this model in a larger scale.

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated a shift to new ways of working, prompting companies to reimagine how, where and by whom work gets done (World Economic Forum & Watson, 2020). This shift was already under way with the technological changes of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Employers are looking for workers who are able to learn new knowledge and skills, adapt to the workplace, be sufficiently flexible to move jobs, and expand on the knowledge learnt at university. Applying the theory of generic competences and the model of thirteen generic competences for university graduates of the Tuning Asia - South East project (TASE), this research investigates the perspectives of VNU stakeholders about the generic competences of VNU graduates. In particular, this paper discusses the employers' perspective of VNU graduates' generic competences. Although employers rate all generic competences as important, they evaluated graduates' achievement of seven generic competences as being at a less than satisfactory level. The findings of the research point to the need for the university to focus more on developing generic competences throughout the delivery of programs.

Today, higher education institutions are being evaluated by the manners in which they react to the social and economic needs of society, that is, how they are expediting social mobility and wider access to higher education, hence this leads to their actions to enhance graduate employability. Therefore, this research was designed to examine the 34 lecturers who joined a workshop related to how they are transferring soft skills and sharing their experiences of their instructional activities. These 34 lecturers are eligible participants who have fulfilled the criteria given by Newton Fund Researcher Links Workshop comprising of 20 Thai, 13 United Kingdom, and one Vietnamese. A qualitative interview research method was employed. An interview protocol was used as an instrument to explore the key ideas from these participants on how to embed soft skills in detail to enhance graduate employability. Results of the study revealed that most of the higher education institutions have been facing the challenges head-on, rethinking the role of career services, academics, and even support services in boosting employability. In addition, results also indicated that in the United Kingdom higher education system has been emphasized on the vital importance of non-academic skills to employability. Besides, participants have highlighted a list of soft skills that graduates should possess and it seemed that the place where these skills will most often be instructed is in the lecture theatre, the tutorial room or the study group. Those soft skills are depending on how lecturers to ensure that they are embedded these soft skills in their course design and delivery.

This study examined the quantitative relationship between lesson study and non-cognitive skills in Vietnam, using t-test analysis for comparison before and after. We also looked at the relationship between lesson study and cognitive skills, teacher engagement and parental involvement. Unlike former studies, we found no relationship between lesson study and cognitive skills, however that is consistent with the general finding in the literature that lesson study seems to have more of an impact on academic performance at the primary than at the secondary level. Nonetheless, and most importantly, we did find a statistically significant relationship between lesson study and non-cognitive skills, specifically extraversion and conscientiousness, two of the Big Five traits that psychologists generally agree make up the taxonomy of non-cognitive traits. We also found that lesson study led teachers to have more dialogue with their students and parents to engage more with their children on their academic progress. In light of the correlation between lower secondary education and non-cognitive skills, these results suggest that lesson study at the lower secondary level may lead to improved academic outcomes at the upper secondary and higher education levels as well as improved life outcomes including behavioral and labor market outcomes.

This paper examines how critical thinking is perceived and transmitted in higher education (HE) classrooms using two Vietnamese undergraduate programmes as case studies. The analysis of semi-structured interviews with teachers, supervisors and institutional leaders from both programmes reveals transmission of critical thinking is impacted upon by power relations from not only outside, in the form of cultural and political ideologies, but also "within" the pedagogic discourse itself. Guided by Bernstein's concepts of the pedagogic device, classification and framing, the discussion centres on how organisational and pedagogic decisions on critical thinking prepare Vietnamese students to think, or not, 'the unthinkable'. While teachers cannot unilaterally alter official curriculum texts to make critical thinking accessible to all students, it is the former's engagement, or not, in the re-organisation of curricular texts, and the use of particular pedagogic practices that can bring about change.

The capacity to successfully, positively engage with the cognitive capacities of critical thinking has become the benchmark of employability for many diverse industries across the globe and is considered critical for the development of informed, decisive global citizenship. Despite this, education systems in several countries have developed policies and practices that limit the opportunities for students to authentically participate in the discussions, debates, and evaluative thinking that serve to develop the skill set and mindset of critical thinkers. This writing examines the status of critical thinking in four different contexts across the globe as reflected in educational policies and academic experiences as a preface to investigating actual classroom practices and possible impacts the support of critical thinking skills may have on the potential development of the global citizens of the future. Each vignette reflects the contextualized difficulties that are presented by social and cultural concerns and traditions of making meaning. These stories of education also illustrate the various ways in which the skills and capacities of critical thinking are interpreted in different contexts and address the negative nuances with which thinking critically has become associated. Finally, a pedagogical model of teaching, which may support student development of the skill set of critical thinking within the boundaries of social and cultural mindsets, has been developed.

Although much research has been done in response to a significant transformation in teaching and learning in higher education, there is a paucity of research paying specific attention to teaching practices that promote student learning in developing countries like Vietnam, where English is not a medium of instruction and in which the socio-economic, educational and cultural characteristics differ from western contexts. This study attempts to delve into key components of teaching practice that facilitate student learning in Vietnamese higher education (VHE) institutions, using quantitative approach (n = 570). Factor analysis from the questionnaire data revealed nine practices of teaching that students believed to facilitate learning of students. The study suggests that there have been positive shifts in teaching practices and these practices are more closely aligned with those prevalent in developed educations in the world.

Learning in a child's mother tongue is crucial for enhancing critical thinking, the skills to learn a second language, and literacy skills. Since 2009, the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) in Vietnam increased its focus on early childhood education through curriculum renovation, providing facilities and establishing teacher policies. Over the past decade, a rapid increase in access among 3- to 6-year-old children has been achieved, with a current enrollment rate of 99% for 5-year-olds. More vulnerable and disadvantaged children, such as those from remote and ethnically diverse districts, are being reached. This article examines one program, the Mitigating Preschool Children's Barriers to Learning in Disadvantaged and Ethnically Diverse Districts in Central Vietnam (2017- 2021), a collaboration of VVOB, a Belgian non-profit organization, and its partners, the Department of Education and Training (DOET) of three central provinces in Vietnam (Kon Tum, Quang Nam, and Quang Ngai), works on mitigating preschool children's barriers to learning in disadvantaged and ethnically diverse districts.

Purpose: This paper compares and contrasts graduate accountant skills and employers' expectations in South East Asia (SEA). Design/methodology/approach: We analyse the employers' expectation performance gap (EPG) in three countries -- Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam -- to provide a reflection on current professional accounting development in SEA. The study relies on data derived from multiple sources including job advertisements, CIMA "ready for business" project, Glassdoor website and other secondary data sources. Findings: The findings indicate that over recent decades, the changing nature of the economy, state, and interest of the business sector (including the "Big Four") have led to the wider adoption of professional accountancy qualifications. The findings suggest that graduates should be equipped with active learning activities such as project-based and work-integrated training to fill the expectation gaps between local university educators and employers. Research limitations/implications: Drawing upon a literature review of professional accounting education, we use the results of the documentations and secondary analysis to describe the performance expectation gap of accounting education in SEA. Originality/value: The study indicates a large discrepancy between the teachings in accounting education and employer requirements in Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia and propose different methods to fill this employability gap in South East Asia.

In a context of rapid economic growth, skills development systems have become increasingly important to countries in Southeast Asia in response to skills gaps generated by changing labour-market conditions. Countries in the region have no alternative but to invest in the development and maintenance of these systems. This paper asserts that in doing so they should recognise the importance of adopting a definition of skills that encompasses cognitive and soft skills as well as technical skills, they should regard as being essential to the development of effective labour market information systems, and they should adopt and institutional frameworks that are adequate to the task of managing complex and effective national skills development systems.

Electronic peer feedback (e-PF) has offered a number of benefits to English as a foreign language (EFL) students' academic writing competence and reflective thinking. However, little research has been conducted to examine whether e-PF can be incorporated in Confucian heritage culture (CHC) contexts. With a sample of 40 Vietnamese university students, the purpose of this study was threefold: (a) to explore whether e-PF improved students' global and local features of EFL academic writing; (b) to investigate whether e-PF provoked students' reflective thinking; and (c) to determine whether the two core principles of Confucian values, namely, the concept of face and power distance influenced the implementation of e-PF. Data were collected through pre- and post-questionnaires, e-PF content, and reflective logs. The qualitative and quantitative results showed that e-PF improved the quality of global and local writing aspects. Using e-PF also espoused both e-PF providers and receivers to develop reflective thinking by heightening their cognitive processes. Students were found to overcome the Confucian cultural barriers to get engaged in giving and receiving critique from their peers. The study, therefore, adds to the existing knowledge about the significance of e-PF in improving students' writing skills and nurturing reflective thinking in CHC cultures.

This paper describes the design of a moral education lesson in accordance with a competency-based approach to teaching critical thinking for primary students. Sympathy is selected as a target moral value and used as a theme to teach critical thinking for students. By using literature on competency-based education and critical thinking as a theoretical framework and applying a design-based research approach, this study improves our understanding of how to design a model competency-based lesson and provides a specific exemplary lesson for increasing critical thinking competency in the moral education of primary students. The study suggests a program for teacher professional development using a competency-based approach to train teachers for effective implementation of the designed lesson.

Vietnam's Ministry of Education and Training has introduced educational reforms that require Vietnamese teachers to acquire new understanding and skills using information communication technology (ICT) to support teaching. However, there was little literature to guide Vietnamese teachers on how to achieve these goals. The research goals were to implement a theoretical pedagogic model to integrate constructivist and sociocultural learning principles with ICT for teaching physics, and test whether the model would increase interaction within the learning environment, and improve students' physics test results and critical thinking skills. This research was conducted in a Vietnamese context. Data collection methods included student interviews, physics tests and critical thinking skills tests. The result of this study showed that the use of ICT informed by the model can enhance interaction in the learning environment, and students' physics test performance and critical thinking skills. This study can provide guidance for the current strategy of implementing ICT into education. At a global level there is little searchable research on the integration of ICT in teaching physics in Vietnam. The current study contributes to the literature by providing insights into the use of ICT in teaching physics in the Vietnamese context.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to conceptualise graduate work-readiness (GWR) and to develop a scale to measure it. Design/methodology/approach: The methodology entailed the compilation of a literature review and the conduct of qualitative interviews and a focus group to generate items. This study used the "resource-based view" approach to conceptualise a multi-dimensional--"work-readiness integrated competence model (WRICM)"--consisting of four main factors (namely, intellectual, personality, meta-skill and job-specific resources), with a further ten sub-dimensions. Further, a series of tests were performed to assess its reliability and validity. Findings: A final 53-item WRICM scale covering four dimensions and ten sub-dimensions of GWR was developed based on the perceptions of 362 HR professionals and managers from seven Asia-Pacific countries. The ten sub-dimensions covering 53 work-readiness skills reflect the perceptions of stakeholders regarding the work-readiness of graduates. The scale was found to be psychometrically sound for measuring GWR. Research limitations/implications: Though the WRICM model is based on the inputs of different stakeholders of GWR (employers, educators, policy makers and graduates), the development of the WRICM scale is based on the perspectives of industry/employers only. Practical implications: The WRICM model has implications for education, industry, professional associations, policy makers and for graduates. These stakeholders can adapt this scale in assessing the work-readiness of graduates in different streams of education. Originality/value: The authors believe that the WRICM model is the first multi-dimensional construct that is based on a sound theory and from the inputs from graduate work-readiness stakeholders from seven Asia-Pacific countries.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to propose the use of case studies in teaching an undergraduate course of Internet for Business in class, based on the revised Bloom's taxonomy. The study provides the empirical evidence about the effect of case-based teaching method integrated the revised Bloom's taxonomy on students' incremental learning, measured by the four constructs: knowledge application, higher-order thinking, practice evaluation knowledge and knowledge improvement. Design/methodology/approach: In this study, learning activities associated with the revised taxonomy-based learning strategy were proposed to support the development of higher-level cognitive skills. Revised application scale, higher-order thinking scale, practice evaluation knowledge scale and knowledge improvement scale were used to measure students' perception of skills corresponding to their level of application, analysis, evaluation and creation, respectively. After completing each task pertinent to case studies, students were encouraged to complete the survey questionnaire. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was employed to examine the relationships between constructs. Students participate in a course where case studies are employed as the main learning activities to promote higher-order thinking. Upon completing the course, they fill in a survey to evaluate the four constructs of incremental learning: level of knowledge application, higher-order thinking, practice evaluation knowledge and knowledge improvement. The relationships between the four constructs are then examined using SEM. Findings: Analysis reveals that with the use of case-based learning activities, knowledge application creates a positive impact on higher-order thinking. Higher-order thinking has positive influence on practice evaluation knowledge. Eventually, practice evaluation knowledge produces a positive effect on knowledge improvement. The results show the desired effects of incremental learning. Research limitations/implications: The case studies designed for teaching the Internet for Business course might not be suitable in terms of content for other courses, which limit the implication of the findings. Practical implications: The key implication is that cognitive process is enhanced by using case studies where learning activities are designed, based on the revised Bloom's taxonomy. Originality/value: The paper offers a comprehensive perspective on incremental learning where students' knowledge of Internet for Business moves developmentally towards the higher-order cognitive process dimension of the revised Bloom's taxonomy.

This paper examines the way in which learning quality has been conceptualised and measured in school effectiveness surveys conducted by Young Lives, a longitudinal study of child poverty. Primary school surveys were conducted in Vietnam in 2010-11 and Ethiopia in 2012-13, and surveys at upper-primary and secondary level were conducted in Ethiopia, India and Vietnam in 2016-17. The paper discusses the design of cognitive tests to assess Maths and reading at primary level, and then focuses on the development of cognitive tests to assess Maths, functional English and transferable skills at upper-primary and secondary level. In particular, the paper explores how learning quality can be conceptualised and measured in relation to "twenty-first century skills", which are increasingly seen as an important outcome of secondary education. The challenges of designing cognitive tests to measure and compare learning quality across three diverse country contexts are also explored.

Aim/Purpose: Students face many challenges improving their soft skills such as critical thinking. This paper offers one possible solution to this problem. Background: This paper considers one method of enhancing critical thinking through a problem-solving game called the Coffee Shop. Problem-solving is a key component to critical thinking, and game-playing is one method of enhancing this through an interactive teaching method. Methodology: Three classes of Vietnamese high school students engaged in the Coffee Shop game. The method seeks outcome measurements through the use of analysis of multiple surveys to assess and interpret if critical thinking may have been improved. Contribution: The study may help to understand the importance of problem-solving in the context of an entrepreneurial setting and add to the variation of methods used to deliver the lesson to students in the classroom. Findings: The findings show that practicing problem-solving scenarios with a focus on critical thinking in a time limited setting results in a measured improvement of this skill. Recommendations for Practitioners: The findings suggest that educators could use games more as tools for problem-solving to contribute to their students' learning outcomes around developing critical thinking. Recommendation for Researchers: More research could be devoted to developing problem-solving and critical thinking skills through game-play models. Impact on Society: Improved critical thinking skills in individuals could make a greater contribution to society. Future Research: A comparative study between different high school grades and genders as well as between different countries or cultures.

Educational access in developing countries has improved significantly in recent years, but less evidence is available on learning and learning progress in comparative perspective. This paper employs data from Young Lives to examine levels and trends in cognitive skill development and the links to enrolment in school across the four study countries for pupils aged five to 15. Non-continuous patterns of enrolment are linked to lower learning levels in all countries, as are key indicators of home background disadvantage. Large differences in learning and learning progress are also found between the four countries' education sytems, with "learning gains" being typically highest in Vietnam and much lower in India (Andhra Pradesh) and Ethiopia. Inequalities linked to prior learning and home backgrounds are wide in Peru, while in Ethiopia and India relatively low levels of learning progress are a more general concern. In Ethiopia, both enrolment and quality improvements remain priorities for policy, while in India high levels of primary school enrolment, at younger ages than in the other study countries, suggest that comprehensive quality improvements may be required, nonetheless with a focus on disadvantaged pupils and those with low attainment in the early years.

Stephen Norton, Do Thi Phurong Thao and Mai The Duy provide an interesting insight into the teaching of fraction division in Vietnam. The article highlights one of the many teaching strategies available to teachers for building fraction concepts.

Improving critical thinking--defined by one expert as "reasonable reflective thinking focused on deciding what to believe or do"--has been a frequent topic in the writing of history educators at least since the early 1970s. Attitudes and interests do support higher-level thinking and, most importantly, knowledge used in carrying it out is crucial to the success of critical thinking instruction. Even if teaching focuses in an admirably systematic way on cognitive skills or operations of critical thinking, the instruction is likely to fall short if the teacher does not ensure a richness of content knowledge and an atmosphere reinforcing the attitudes and dispositions which motivate and support critical thinking. In this article, the authors describe an activity for teaching the Vietnam War as an element for improving critical thinking skills in history class. The activity is one that fits into what has been called the immersion approach to improving higher-level thinking. By describing the activity as a possible element in the immersion approach to critical thinking in a United States history class, the authors place the emphasis on ensuring richness of content knowledge and an atmosphere demonstrating the importance of critical thinking. The authors believe that the immersion approach to critical thinking as illustrated in this activity can reinforce and develop a variety of important dispositions and attitudes associated with critical thinking. By sparking students' interest in a contemporary and controversial debate, they will be more likely to want to understand important issues about the war and other related topics. The activity also provides the students with meaningful experiences in understanding and considering viewpoints other than their own. By comparing, contrasting, and evaluating authors' points of view, the students learn that factual presentations are not the only objectives of authors when writing about a topic, or of a periodical when publishing anarticle on a topic. The immersion approach is a more effective vehicle for developing students' higher-level critical thinking abilities than approaches that stress specific skills or operations without attention to knowledge and attitudes. (Contains 5 tables and 16 notes.)

This study aimed to evaluate the critical thinking abilities of senior nursing students in Vietnam and determine factors associated with their critical thinking disposition and skills. Assessing critical thinking competence is crucial for determining senior nursing students' preparedness for entering the healthcare workforce and can be used to examine current nursing education's ability to cultivate nursing students' critical thinking. However, little research was found on critical thinking among Vietnamese nursing students. A multicenter cross-sectional research design. A convenience sample of 533 senior nursing students from six universities in Vietnam participated in this study. All participants completed the online questionnaires, including basic information, a subscale of the Motivated Strategy for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ), Critical Thinking Disposition Scale (CTDS), and Critical Thinking Self-Assessment Scale (CTSAS). The mean score for the CTDS was 42.81 (standard deviation (SD) = 5.29), while the mean score for the CTSAS was 168.29 (SD = 44.43). Results of the multiple linear-regression analysis showed that an increase in self-study hours per day (B = 0.41, p = 0.007), higher self-efficacy in learning and performance (B = 0.26, p < 0.001), and a more-supportive environment (B = 0.97, p < 0.001) were predictors of critical thinking disposition. Moreover, an increase in self-study hours per day (B = 4.09, p = 0.001), higher self-efficacy in learning and performance (B = 2.65, p < 0.001), a more-supportive environment (B = 7.74, p < 0.001), and more experience with research (B = 7.03, p = 0.03) were predictors of critical thinking skills. This study revealed that senior nursing students in Vietnam possess a moderate level of critical thinking abilities. Those students who dedicate more hours to self-study, demonstrate higher self-efficacy in learning and performance, experience a supportive environment, and engage in more research activities exhibit better critical thinking disposition and skills. The findings highlight the ongoing need to enhance critical thinking disposition and skills of nursing students in Vietnam. It is suggested that nursing faculty members should develop the appropriate strategies to improve nursing students' critical thinking disposition and skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The adapted version of the inductive reasoning test is reliable for measuring reasoning in the 5th, 7th, 9th and 11th grades. • Inductive reasoning performance increased across school grade cohorts. • No statistically significant difference was found between boys and girls on the inductive reasoning test. • The fastest development was found between 12 and 14 years of age. • Along with the age factor, parents' education level impacts inductive reasoning performance. Inductive reasoning is one of the main factors predicting academic success and a cognitive process of fluid intelligence. The main purposes of this study are to examine the psychometric characteristics of an inductive reasoning test and to explore the development of students' inductive reasoning across school age groups. A random sample of 701 students was drawn from the 5th, 7th, 9th and 11th grades in six public schools in An Giang Province, Vietnam. The 32-item inductive reasoning test involves four different inductive reasoning tasks: figure series completion, figure analogies, number analogies and number series completion. The test was delivered online via the eDia assessment system. As the results of a confirmatory factor analysis show, the test is a suitable tool to measure inductive reasoning in the Vietnamese context with CFI =.902, RMSEA =.038, SRMR =.046 and Cronbach's alpha =.88. The Rasch analysis also indicated that the test items fit the assessment model and formed an adequate instrument. Students performed better on the figural subtests than they did on the numerical subtests. The older age groups tended to earn higher scores than their younger peers on the test, indicating a modest pace of development. No significant difference was found between male and female students. Multiple regression analysis revealed that school grades predicted performance in inductive reasoning well, contributing 32.0 % to explaining the results of the inductive reasoning test. The current study provided evidence for students' development in inductive reasoning across school grade levels in Vietnam, where improving thinking skills is embedded in the core curricula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]