The Development of Critical Thinking: Does College Make a Difference?.

Abstract

This study sought to assess the influence of the first year of college on the development of critical thinking. Matched groups of students who attended and who did not attend college were compared on the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal. Net of secondary school level of critical thinking and other covariates (e.g., aptitude, socioeconomic status, educational aspirations), students with one year of college had significantly higher total critical thinking scores and significantly higher scores on the interpretation and evaluation of arguments subscales. The advantages accruing to college attendance, however, were modest, ranging from 17.0% to 24.8%. These effects appeared to be the same for all students, irrespective of individual differences in gender, race, and secondary school levels of critical thinking, aptitude, grades, socioeconomic status, and educational aspirations. Additional analyses suggested that net of the study covariates college selectivity, curricular emphasis, and individual measures of intellectual and social involvement during college had no significant associations with critical thinking. A composite measure of intellectual and social involvement during the freshman year, however, did have positive partial correlations with