Defining and assessing critical thinking skills for student radiographers

Castle, Alan

doi:10.1016/j.radi.2007.10.007

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Volume 15, Issue 1 , Pages 70-76, February 2009

Defining and assessing critical thinking skills for student radiographers

University of Portsmouth, School of Health Sciences and Social Work, Centre for Radiography Education, James Watson Building, 2 King Richard 1st Road, Portsmouth PO1 2FR, United Kingdom

Received 15 June 2007; received in revised form 18 October 2007; accepted 30 October 2007.

Abstract

Developing critical thinking skills is a key aim of higher education and is important in preparing student radiographers for their future careers in clinical practice. The aim of this paper was to attempt to devise and assess six key components of critical thinking appropriate for radiographic practice.

Each of the six components was divided into three dimensions and a Critical Thinking Skills Scoring Chart (CTSSC) devised to assess students' written performance against each dimension. Scores revealed that approximately 30% of students were rated as good and approximately 10% of students were rated as poor in each component, although there was some variability between different dimensions.

It is suggested that educators need to encourage and support students to develop their critical thinking skills by reviewing their curriculum to clearly define specific skills and ensure that they are appropriately taught and assessed.

Keywords: Education, Critical thinking skills, Defining, Assessing, Professional practice, Curriculum design