comparisoncontrast, justification, analysis, evaluation, moral reasoning, and using inductive and deductive reasoning.
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4. Benefits of Critical Thinking Skill
Critical thinking skills play significant roles not only in learners’ academic achievements but also in their dynamic life of work life after graduation. Critical
thinking is very useful for human life. People who has critical thinking will be more careful to do or believe in something. They will analyze and evaluate all of
the information of the issue before making decision. İn other words, a critical thinker will have some consideration towards one’s works.
Cottrell gives some benefits of critical thinking ability as stated below: a.
The work can be conducted accurately and carefully b.
The ability to determine something which is relevant in writing nothing can be more accurate and specific
c. The ability to conduct the problem solving and project management can be
done accurately d.
It can raise feeling of confident of successful outcome in complex problems and project.
e. The work and academic attainment can be better improved.
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Moreover, critical thinking is valuable for two main reasons as stated by David Hunter. First, thinking critically increases knowledge. Second, thinking
critically is essential to being autonomous. It means that by thinking critically can make up someone’s own mind about what to believe or what to do, which is
essential to.
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In conclusion, critical thinker gains numerous benefits from mastering critical thinking skills, such as better control of their own learning and empathy
10
Wanda Teys, Second Thoughts: Critical Thinking for a Diverse Society, New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2006, 3
rd
edition, p. 3.
11
Stella Cottrell, Critical Thinking Skills: Developing Effective Analysis and Argument, New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005, p. 4.
12
Hunter op. cit., A
Practical Guide to Critical Thinking: Deciding What to Do and Believe. 2014 p. 6.
for other points of view. In addition, critical thinking skills are not restricted to a particular subject area. Being able to think well and solve problems systematically
is a skill which can be applied in many aspects of people life. Therefore, people who have critical thinking will be able to deal with the real life.
5. Critical Thinking Test
As regarded as one of the important aspect in people life, many researchers do some research whether or not critical thinking can be tested or not.
Nowadays, there is still controversies regarding about it. Some experts stated that critical thinking is a skill which is like other skills which can be tested from many
aspects. There are many kind of critical thinking test that has been published and regarded as the standardized test. Some critical thinking tests mentioned below are
some examples of standardized critical thinking test on which the validity and reliability had been already tested;
1. California Critical Thinking Skills Test CCTST
The California Critical Thinking Test CCTST is administered by Insight Assessment. The CCTST targets the core critical thinking skills: analysis,
interpretation, inference, evaluation, and explanation. Several scores are generated by the CCTST as follows: total score; inductive and deductive reasoning, and sub-
scale scores; sub-scale scores relating to the categories of analysis, inference, and evaluation. CCTST has Parallel Forms A and B, 34-item multiple choice test. Test
core critical thinking skills regarded to be essential elements in U education and no discipline-specific knowledge required.
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2. Cornell Critical Thinking Test
The Cornell Critical Thinking Test CCTT is an exam that helps teachers to determine the critical thinking abilities of their students. First developed in 1985
by Robert Ennis. The Cornell Critical Thinking Test series offers two levels of testing: level X is used for grades five through twelve and level Z is used for
grades ten through twelve. The tests may also be used at the college level as well.
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www.insightassessment.com
Level X includes the following skills: induction, deduction, credibility, identification of assumptions. Level Z includes the skills in Level X induction,
deduction, credibility, identification of assumptions, plus; semantics, definition, prediction in planning experiments.
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3. Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal W-GCTA
The Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal W-GCTA is a psychometric test of critical thinking and reasoning. It was developed by Watson and Glaser. It
measures skills related to problem solving and decision making in a variety question types. The W-GCTA measures the fundamental cognitive ability of
critical thinking. It tests for five critical thinking skills: inference, recognition of assumptions, deduction, interpretation, and evaluation of arguments.
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4. The Ennis-Weir Critical Thinking Essay Test
The test was created by R.H. Ennis and E. Weir from Midwest Publications. It is aimed to measure CT skill at grades 7 through college. It is also intended to be
used as a teaching material. The test Include: getting the point, seeing the reason and assumptions, stating one’s point, offering good reasons, seeing other
possibilities including other possible explanations, and responding to and avoiding equivocation, irrelevance, circularity, reversal of an if-then or other
conditional relationship, overgeneralization, credibility problems, and the use of emotive language to persuade.
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Test instruments that are used to measure critical thinking skills typically require the student to read and evaluate statements that measure various aspects of
thinking ability include investigation, analysis, evaluation and argumentation. From these measures, it is hoped that the quality or the level of the students
critical thinking can be determined.
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R. H. Ennis, Millman, J. Tomko, T. N., Cornell Critical Thinking Tests Level X and Level Z Manual, CA: Midwest Publications, 2008, 3
rd
ed., p. 3 —10.
15
Watson and Glaser, The Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal W-GCTA, London: Pearson Education Ltd., 2012, p. 1-6.
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R. H. Ennis, Suplement to the Test Ennis Critical Thinking Test. Retrieved from: http:faculty.education.illinois.edurhennissupplewmanual1105.htm
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