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Assessing students' critical thinking abilities via a systematic evaluation of essays.

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Title: Assessing students' critical thinking abilities via a systematic evaluation of essays.
Authors: Calma, Angelito (AUTHOR), Davies, Martin (AUTHOR)
Source: Studies in Higher Education. Feb2026, Vol. 51 Issue 2, p422-437. 16p.
Subjects: Critical thinking, Management education, Educational evaluation, Essays, Critical thinking studies, Evaluation methodology
Abstract: In this paper, we address critical thinking skill assessment in the context of management education. This paper uses Ennis' well-known list of critical thinking abilities to identify assessable critical thinking components present in student work. A sample of 152 graduate written assignments designed to assess critical thinking is used as a basis for analysis. These were taken from a business analysis subject in a large Australian business school over a 6-year period. A methodological framework is proposed and applied to this data set, offering a way of assessing evidence of five representative categories pertaining to critical thinking in a business context. The framework includes a basic clarification (BC), bases for inferences (BI), inferences (IN), advanced clarification (AC) and auxiliary abilities (AA). Results indicate that the essays rank highly on AA and AC but low on BC, BI and IN. While critical thinking is partially evidenced in the study corpus, attention is needed in terms of refining the measurement framework dedicated to eliciting specific critical thinking components. We provide the initial elements of such a framework in this paper and make suggestions for how it can be improved. Implications for the theory and practice of management education are outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Studies in Higher Education is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Data: Assessing students' critical thinking abilities via a systematic evaluation of essays.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Calma%2C+Angelito%22">Calma, Angelito</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Davies%2C+Martin%22">Davies, Martin</searchLink> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Studies+in+Higher+Education%22">Studies in Higher Education</searchLink>. Feb2026, Vol. 51 Issue 2, p422-437. 16p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Critical+thinking%22">Critical thinking</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Management+education%22">Management education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+evaluation%22">Educational evaluation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Essays%22">Essays</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Critical+thinking+studies%22">Critical thinking studies</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Evaluation+methodology%22">Evaluation methodology</searchLink>
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  Data: In this paper, we address critical thinking skill assessment in the context of management education. This paper uses Ennis' well-known list of critical thinking abilities to identify assessable critical thinking components present in student work. A sample of 152 graduate written assignments designed to assess critical thinking is used as a basis for analysis. These were taken from a business analysis subject in a large Australian business school over a 6-year period. A methodological framework is proposed and applied to this data set, offering a way of assessing evidence of five representative categories pertaining to critical thinking in a business context. The framework includes a basic clarification (BC), bases for inferences (BI), inferences (IN), advanced clarification (AC) and auxiliary abilities (AA). Results indicate that the essays rank highly on AA and AC but low on BC, BI and IN. While critical thinking is partially evidenced in the study corpus, attention is needed in terms of refining the measurement framework dedicated to eliciting specific critical thinking components. We provide the initial elements of such a framework in this paper and make suggestions for how it can be improved. Implications for the theory and practice of management education are outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Studies in Higher Education is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1080/03075079.2025.2470969
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        Text: English
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      – SubjectFull: Critical thinking
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      – SubjectFull: Educational evaluation
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              Text: Feb2026
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