Longitudinal Assessment of Critical Thinking Skills Across a Dental Curriculum

Abstract

Critical thinking and problem-solving are two of the most frequently desired goals for dental student learning, but greater understanding is needed of how students' critical thinking skills develop from the beginning to the end of the curriculum. The aim of this study was to use students' performance on critical thinking assessments at five time points from the first to the fourth years to longitudinally assess their critical thinking development across the curriculum. In 2014-16, the performance of students in two successive graduating classes at one U.S. dental school was collected from five assignments designed to, among other things, assess critical thinking. Those assignments ranged from a case study in the Cariology I course in fall of the first year to an OSCE completed before graduation. Students were divided into four quartiles from lowest- to highest-achieving based on the first (baseline) assessment, and those quartiles were tracked to determine each student's progress over the four years. The results showed that, for both cohorts, students who ranked in the top quartile remained in the top of the class for all subsequent assessments. Also in both cohorts, the students who had the lowest scores on the initial assessment of critical thinking skills showed statistically significant improvements over time, increasing their scores by 9.4% (cohort 1, p<0.001) and 4.6% (cohort 2, p=0.003) in each consecutive assessment. These results suggest that implementing critical thinking assessments early in the curriculum can assist in predicting students' future performance on critical thinking assessments. Furthermore, a dental curriculum intentionally designed to promote critical thinking capacities can help students improve these skills over time, whatever their level at the beginning.

Effectiveness of an E‐module at teaching novice learners critical thinking skills related to dentistry

“…21 While the development of these skills can involve a variety of activities such as case analysis, simulation, and debates, the American Dental Education Association Commission on Change and Innovation (ADEA CCI) suggests that such activities be incorporated throughout dental curricula. 22 A longitudinal study by Everett et al 22 showed that University of Michigan dental students improve their critical thinking skills over the four year curriculum, however, the authors noted variability in assessments and influence of the culture of the academic environment as limitations to their study. Critical thinking requires higher-order cognitive skills, which can be assessed via higher-order cognition questions created using verbs on the upper "tiers" of Bloom's taxonomy and its revisions.…”

“…Critical thinking, or the ability to give reasons for what one says or does, is viewed as a key component to education, and an essential skill for a health care provider to solve patient problems and deliver safe, efficient, and skillful care. 20,22 The Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) requires that predoctoral dental programs emphasize critical thinking and problem-solving in educating future dentists. 21 While the development of these skills can involve a variety of activities such as case analysis, simulation, and debates, the American Dental Education Association Commission on Change and Innovation (ADEA CCI) suggests that such activities be incorporated throughout dental curricula.…”

Socio-critical and problem-oriented approach in environmental issues for students' critical thinking skills development in Chemistry learning

“…Students are still included in the Beginning Thinker level on the critical thinking skills test. (Everett, Anderson, Wright & Fontana, 2018;Ramos, 2018). Chemistry is a difficult subject for students who seek interesting and applicative learning.…”

Critical thinking disposition among Thai dental students

“…Once they have interpreted the validity and reliability of the information, dental professionals need to provide patients with reliable oral health information, practice evidence, and alternative treatment options. Therefore, dental education should encourage competence in critical thinking skills 5 …”