Critical Thinking Performance Patterns among Australian and Chinese Higher Education Students: A Latent Profile Analysis

• In Event: Measuring What Matters: Challenges and Opportunities in Assessing Critical Thinking

Abstract

This study examines critical thinking (CT) performance patterns using a multidimensional model that includes cognitive skills and epistemic beliefs. Latent profile analysis of data from Australian (N=233) and Chinese (N=247) university students revealed four distinct CT profiles with varying performance levels across dimensions. Australian samples were more likely to demonstrate higher performances on both dimensions, while most Chinese samples were classified into lower-performing profiles. The findings of this study help reconcile the conflict between recent empirical evidence and prevailing understandings of CT development in different contexts. It also underscores the rich nature of CT, highlights the importance of articulating CT construct before making evaluative judgments, and offers theoretical and practical implications of CT education.

Author

• Sundance Zhihong Sun, University of Melbourne