Development, Validation and Implementation of a Contextualised Critical Thinking Assessment Tool: Lessons and Findings from Uganda

• In Event: In Pursuit of More Engaging and Equitable Learning Environments: Three Examples from Uganda

Proposal

In this 21st century era with ever evolving societal needs, generic skills such as critical thinking are necessary competencies for individuals to critic and invent new information (Murawski, 2014), make well informed opinions (Mosley et al., 2005) and intellectual judgements about societal issues (Glaser, 1941; Pascarella et al., 2004; Fong et al., 2017). There is therefore a growing need to support young persons to become better critical thinkers so that they process data, evaluate concepts, develop arguments and consequently suggest well informed ideas for responding to a multitude of societal needs. Moreover, improvement in students’ critical thinking abilities is not only important for the students but also for the society (Ennis, 2013; Fascione, 1990; Siegel, 2004).

In order to effectively support students to become better critical thinkers, evidence of whether, and to what extent, students can think critically is crucial. However, despite the existence of a specific focus on the development of critical thinking abilities among students in the curriculum for lower secondary school in Uganda, how these skills can be assessed is still unclear. There is a lack of contextualised critical thinking assessment tools in sub-Saharan Africa, as well as a lack of awareness of the need to conduct contextualised processes in developing these tools (Author et al., 2022). Notably, tools from different contexts have been employed in a few studies conducted in low-income contexts to assess students’ ability to demonstrate critical thinking skills (Schendel & Tolmie, 2017).

Based on this background, through our study on the effectiveness of the whole school system approach in fostering critical thinking among learners in Ugandan secondary schools, we developed and validated a critical thinking assessment tool for lower secondary school students in Uganda. We also used the developed tool to assess students’ critical thinking abilities in selected lower secondary schools in Uganda.

This paper presents the process and the lessons generated from the activities conducted during the development of the critical thinking assessment tool as well as the findings of the assessment that used the developed tool. The lessons to be shared will include: (i) the systematic review of the literature conducted in regard to the understanding and assessment of critical thinking skills in sub-Saharan Africa; (ii) the tool development process involving cognitive testing sessions and pilot testing with lower secondary school students; and (iii) results from the application of the tool in assessing secondary school learners’ critical thinking abilities. These lessons and findings shall be used to inform various stakeholders on the process of developing contextualized tools for the assessment of generic skills such as critical thinking, etc. The findings will also be used to inform stakeholders on the critical thinking abilities of Ugandan lower secondary school students.

Authors

• Edimond Serwanga, Luigi Giussani Institute of Higher Education

• Mauro Giacomazzi, Luigi Giussani Institute of Higher Education

• Martin Ariapa, Luigi Giussani Institute of Higher Education

• Gillian Atuheire, Luigi Giussani Institute for Higher Education