A Cross-Sectional Comparison of Students' Critical Thinking in the International Baccalaureate With National Programs

• In Event: Motivation and Cognition in Secondary Schooling

Abstract

The International Baccalaureate (IB), an internationally recognized secondary degree, has been particularly vocal in claiming to utilize teaching practices that develop their students’ critical thinking skills. However, to date, there has not been a systematic study evaluating whether the critical thinking skills of IB students differ significantly from their peers. Here we examine the critical thinking skills in upper-secondary students enrolled in either the IB (n = 282) or national degree programs (n = 284) using students from schools in Australia and Norway. After controlling for a number of pre-existing differences, we found significantly higher critical thinking in IB students compared to students enrolled in national programs.

Authors

• Kit Spenser Double, University of Oxford

• Therese N. Hopfenbeck, University of Oxford

• Joshua Aaron McGrane, University of Oxford

• Yasmine El Masri, University of Oxford