CONSTRUCT VALIDITY OF CRITICAL THINKING SCALE FOR UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN SOUTH-SOUTH GEOPOLITICAL ZONE OF NIGERIA

CONSTRUCT VALIDITY OF CRITICAL THINKING SCALE FOR UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN SOUTH-SOUTH GEOPOLITICAL ZONE OF NIGERIA

CONSTRUCT VALIDITY OF CRITICAL THINKING SCALE FOR UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN SOUTH-SOUTH GEOPOLITICAL ZONE OF NIGERIA

 

BY

SUNDAY, DORATHY & DR. F.O. E. IWEKA

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

08066414626

 

 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY, GUIDANCE AND COUNSELING, FACULTY OF EDUCATION, MEASUREMENT AND EVALUATION OPTION

 UNIVERSITY OF PORT HARCOURT

 

 

 

 

 

JULY, 2021

Abstract

This study is on construct validity of critical thinking scale for university students in south-south geo-political zone of Nigeria. Two research questions guided this study. An ex-post Facto experimental design was used for the study. Stratified proportionate random sampling technique was used to draw a sample size of 1, 0 41 respondents from the population. The pilot study reliability coefficient of the instrument was 0.86. The research questions 1 and 2 were answered using Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation. The result revealed that Dorathy’s Critical Thinking Scale and Cornel Critical Thinking Test correlated high at 0.807.  Sub-scale-total correlations yielded all positive coefficients ranging from 0.344 to 0.657 respectively. It was recommended that other intending researchers should consider carrying out an evaluation study of critical thinking scale to ensure adequate decision making in the use of developed instruments. The critical thinking scale is valid; hence, examining bodies, stake holders and lecturers in the universities should consider assessing their students using valid instruments such as the critical thinking scale.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INTRODUCTION

Bridge (2013) defined university as higher institution of graduate’s production from many professions. In other words, it offers higher education on large expectations in different nations and this diversity exposes students to various thinking approaches. University students tend to manifest different behavior than the others that ended at secondary and primary education levels. It is at the university that the degree certificates are awarded at various stages such as the First Degree, Master’s Degree and the Doctorate degree depending on individual student’s level of programs. There are different reasons for attending universities which is determined by individual differences.

Morrish (2015) noted that this is not just the reason for establishment of university, rather the purpose of university is on building individual and the nation, he added that if the students are trained accordingly with what the university is meant for they will understand the relationship of apparently disparate phenomena for acquisition of independent knowledge for development of their competencies to the challenges that may confront them in life to be leaders of tomorrow. Another reason for university is that it gives people the opportunity to acquire higher knowledge which can be achieved by the curious and serious students who will strive to gain satisfaction of their dreams or heart desire to secure better jobs. Although, most of the skills students learn could not be linked to the subjects they learnt rather they are achieved from the skills gotten from their holistic university experiences.

Thinking could be termed as the process of reasoning of an event, activities, programs or anything; it means individuals judging an issue rationally. The philosophical view of critical thinking is on its intellectual aspect method of having active and skillful concept to apply, analyze, synthesis, evaluate collect information, observe, experienced, reflect communicated issues as a rule of agreeing and acting (Jonathan, C., and Lua, J, 2018).

More so, university students who think critically are characterized with asking questions, defining words, solving problems, examining practical issues, explains assumed issues, excessive simplicity, recognizes what is been interpreted and are not frightened about the use of ambiguous terms. Along with this, critical thinking is synonymous to metacognition. Therefore, critical thinkers (students) may often times consider different strategies of thinking critically, hence’ majority of the: 

• Students who think critically open up their minds concerning the responsibility given to them and they have respect for other peoples reasoning evidences, clarify precisions, consider other people’s views and may agree to an issue when necessary.

• They always have conditions that every issue must possess before accepting whatever idea that is giving for it.
• Such students often times make statements with practical prove that supports their points so that they can evaluate identify construct and engage in argument successfully. They have the ability to produce their own knowledge as well as relating the knowledge and what was produced with other things or issues (Mohammed, 2014).

The construct validity of the critical thinking scale was done in recognition of different subscales that were guided by Ennis et al. (2005) It was based on the validation of critical thinking items that were already developed from different sources of materials that was designed in multiple choice items formats measures based on the Cornel Critical Thinking Test, Level Z.

Despite the relevance of critical thinking in different perspectives, it is observed that some students show very low level of thinking ability. This is expressed in the way some of them ask or answer questions; it is also very unfortunate that most of the students do not know their levels of critical thinking ability. This may be due to little or non-availability of validated indigenous instrument to measure critical thinking skills among the students. This situation needs urgent attention, which gave rise to the present study; on the construct validity of critical thinking scale.

Construct validity is referred to a "psychological construct". It tends to find out if the written concept matches up with a specific measurement; it helps the researcher to determine whether a scale or test measures the construct adequately. An example is if some students are studying hard, it means that their study habit made them to pass very well and you give a study habit inventory and rate the tastes find out that many students are scoring very high in the inventory and you administer a test and those that have high rate in the inventory are the ones scoring high in the main test, it reveals that the test has construct validity. In the same vein, it can be explained as a measurement of the human brain, such as critical thinking, intelligence, level of emotion, proficiency or ability.

Also, construct ability can be seen as a measure of how well the test measures the construct, it is a tool that allows researchers to perform a systematic analysis of how well instrument developers designed their instrument in research. Construct variability in education studies, the construct validity tested before the main research. These pilot studies establish the strength of the research and allow it to make any adjustments. The construct validity of a scale refers to the extent to which the scale measures the construct that it was developed to measure and if the measurement is effectively executed such as measuring students level of thinking. Chou, C. C. Y., Huang, C. Y., Lin, G. H., Huang, S. L., Lee, S., and Hsieh, C. (2017) defined construct validity as a measure that covers a hypothesized or underline trait’s it is meant to measure and that construct validity is not an easy aspect for instrument selection.

There are works on the construct validity of one instrument or the other; for instance, Cooman, D. R., Gieter, D. S., Pepermans, R., Jeger, M., and Acker, F. V. (2009) generated and validated the work force scale with ten (10) items for job managers and adopted multiphase strategies with reviewing of related theory, passed research and estimations made to develop items on other instruments, later the outcome of the items were culled to estimate the ones with ambiguities and very difficult among others. In the last stage items were reduced depending on the reliability outcomes as test-retest, internal consistency were analyzed, as a result it yielded to the last part target on the topic. After which the scale items dimensionality was analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis, then correlation analysis was executed to ensure that the theory reviewed relates with the construct, while the effects of social desirability on work scale was tested.

Pipa, J., peixoto, F., L, M., Montaro, and Sanches, C. (2017) validated goal orientation scale for Portuguese students, the sample was 2675 of nine to twenty four years old children in the area of study, the scale was validated with a confirmatory factor analysis and none inferential statistics in line with the goal orientation of the variables, task, self-facilitating, defeating and orientation based on how the avoid issues with valid and reliable items. It was found that goal orientation could be described separately as individuals can also be facilitated and defeated with accurate support. The challenge of the study was its limitation to only three stages with the four categories of the construct for such large sample size and the age range was accurately chosen for the student’s homogeneity because it incorporated those in the basic education, secondary and the university students in the sense that their orientations were supposed to differ considering their levels of education, ages and exposures to handle school problems adequately.

Huang (2017) carried out a study on the quality of life scale generated and validated for elementary school students as their emotion may contribute to the extent they can do well at school. He gathered students of age ten to twelve years for determination of psychometric properties, nine hundred and fifty three instruments were administered to the students sampled but the researcher could not realize all, this resulted to 74.61% responses and reliability of the instruments were established with about 60 students for more than two weeks and also used forty nine students to determine convergent and discriminant validity evaluation.

The researcher issued consent form to students to complete with their parents based on the purpose of the study and the data collected were analyzed with exploratory factor analysis, descriptive data analysis and Pearson’s product moment of correlation was established later confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to reduce the items. Content was validated by experts in the field of pediatric nursing school nurses, a qualitative researcher professional including health professionals to meet the aims of the study. Thereafter, various sections were joined as one scale and factor loading were executed which had a poor coefficient of 0.29 as a problem to the scale.

Concerning this study, the construct validity of the critical thinking scale for university students was examined in recognition of different subscales that were guided by

Ennis, R. H., Millman, J., and Tomko, T. N. (2005) It was based on the validation of critical thinking items that were already developed from different sources of materials that were designed in multiple choice items formats measures based on the Cornel Critical Thinking Test, Level Z.

However, the present condition is the fact that many of the instruments developed by some psychometricians are not adequately written or constructed; from observations, most of the items in majority of the existing instruments seems to be different from the attributes of focused. Different measures have been put in place to overcome the problem by some other researcher who have carried out studies on assessment of critical thinking, development and standardization of students cognitive domains, evaluation of university students critical thinking outside Nigeria to investigate the thinking level of students, despite the various steps taken by the researchers and recommendations, some instrument like the meta-cognitive do not possess accurate validity of the construct. Therefore, this study tends to ascertain if the critical thinking scale for university students developed has construct validity, especially with an existing foreign instrument on meta-cognitive; critical thinking test by Cornel and also determine whether there is a relationship that manifest in the sub-scales and overall scale of critical thinking scale (CTS) developed by Dorathy.

Aim and Objectives of the Study

The aim of this study was to ascertain the construct validity of critical thinking scale for university in south-south Nigeria Specifically; the objectives were:

1. Ascertain the construct validity of Dorathy’s critical thinking scale (CTS) using convergent method.
2. Establish the construct validity of the sub-scale and overall scale of Dorthy’s critical thinking scale (CTS) using subscale-total correlation.

Research Questions

The following research questions guided this study:

1. What is the construct validity of critical thinking scale (CTS) using convergent method?
2. What is the construct validity of the sub-scale and over-all scale of critical thinking scale (CTS) using subscale-total correlation?

Significance of the Study

This study can be of great importance in numerous dimensions.

The psychological researchers will use it to evaluate attributes in various areas of interest as critical thinking allows the cognitive capacity of people to transform meanings and disperse ideas which leads to having satisfied feeling in all aspect of life, it will benefit them in the sense that all their results in cause of researching could be assess by educators.

The findings from this study will also help most students to think critically and have adequate experience or knowledge of what and evaluate to make accurate decision good habit of thinking critically.

The study will be of importance to individual students, as the consciousness of guiding the students on how to think critically as regards the construct inductive reasoning for application of the students’ knowledge concerning conceptual matters towards the concept in supporting the accuracy of it; the students can answer questions that are inductively written by accepting truth as conclusion in the context of the test that may be given to them at school or in any job test.

Methodology

Research Design: An ex post Facto research design was used for the study. An ex post Facto study also known as after fact research is a design that is useful when the fact of the study has been done or taken place.  Sohil (2019) stated that ex post facto research design can help the researcher to perform impact analysis on existing data. Hence, the design is suitable to ascertain the construct validity of the instrument under study; Dorathy’s critical thinking scale DCTS.

Study Area

This study was carried out among university students in South-South geo-political zone of Nigeria is otherwise known as Niger Delta region of the country where most of the oil wells are located in Nigeria. The South-South geopolitical zone is made up of six states. These six states are known as the Niger Delta states. These states are the major oil producing states in Nigeria. These six states are: Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, and Rivers. The level 300 students in the federal universities in these states were chosen because it has been observed that they vary in their levels of critical thinking abilities that manifested in their behavours in most of the activities in the classrooms such as assessment process which is formative of summative testing.

Level 300 students were chosen because there are in between students and graduate and graduates to be. This stage needs higher level of critical thinking ability and the identification of these students critical thinking ability will help the self and the society to achieve their dreams. This is because those who will be identified as having low critical thinking ability can be helped to adjust before they graduate to face the world of work or further education as they may desire. On the other hand, those that will be identified with high level of critical thinking ability may be encouraged.

Population of Study

The population of the level 300 students in federal universities in the south-south geo-political zone of Nigeria is 34665 as at the time of the study. A sample of 1,041of the level 300 students were selected using proportionate stratified random sampling technique where about 3% of the total number of the students in each of the five federal owned universities, which served as a stratum given a total of five strata. After the stratifications, simple random sampling technique was employed by balloting method.

 

TABLETHAT SHOWS THE UNIVERSITIES, POPULATION AND SAMPLE OF 300 LEVEL STUDENTS RESPECTIVELY, SELECTED FOR THE STUDY.

S/N    Names of Federal Government owned           No. of Participants      Percentages of  Participants 1                    University of Benin (UniBen)                         8720                       262     2                    University of Calabar (UNICAL)                    8286                          249 3                    University Otuoke Bayelsa,                              2054                           62 4                    University of Port-Harcourt (UNIPORT)          7005                         210 5                    University of Uyo (UNIUYO)                          8600                          258 TOTAL                                                                                  34665                       10,41 Percentage                                                                                 100                           3%

Stratified random sampling is a method of sampling technique that require the researcher to divide the population of the study into sub-group and the strata are gotten from the participants common criteria’s https://www.investopedia.com/terms/stratified_random_sampling.asp retrieved 30th July 2019. Stratified random sampling is used because the researcher tends to dictate a particular sub-group within population and have a representative sample. Stratified is divided into strata where the sample is usually drawn and this may be very useful if the variable to stratify are easy to handle to select participants from more than one group (Adeleke, 2010). The instrument will be administered to the students using accidental sampling technique which the researcher and research assistance will collect the data based on any three hundred level students they will meet on in the lecture halls as at the time of administration of the instrument.

 

 

 

Instrument for Data Collection

To enable the researcher collect data, an instrument tagged Dorathy’s critical thinking scale (DCTS) was used. It has 50 items that are made up of 3 options; A, B and C. they are scored dichotomously (fail/pass), hence a minimum of 0 marks and a maximum of 50 marks may be obtained.

The face and content validities of the DCTS were obtained by subjecting it to the scrutiny of specialist in educational psychology, measurement and evaluation and specialist in English Language.  After their scrutiny and editing, their suggestions and reactions were reflected later in the instrument.

For reliability, copies of the instrument DCTS were administered on 85 of the same level 300 but outside the sample selected for the study. After the administration, the copies of the instrument were scored and collected. The data obtained were subjected to kuder-Richardson formula SPSS version to determine the reliability of the scale. Thereafter, an internal consistency value of 0.86 was obtained for the overall scale. Hence, the DCTS was highly reliable for the study.

Furthermore, after ascertaining the reliability of the instrument, it was administered to the main targeted sample of 1,041level 300 students by direct delivery approach with the help of 2 research assistance from each of the chosen universities. This was to ascertain high retrieval. At the end of administration, scoring was collation of data; the obtained data were analyzed using Pearson’s product moment correlation technique.

Result and Discussion

Research Question 1: What is construct validity of critical thinking scale (CTS) using convergent methods?

Table 1 : To answer this research question, the scores of the students in Dorathy’s CTS and Cornel CTT were correlated using Pearson’s product moment correlation, the result obtained are presented in table 1.

Cornel                  Dorathy   Cornel         CTT          1041                    0.807   Dorathy        CTS        0.807                     1041

 

It is obvious in table 1 that the students’ scores on Dorathy’s CTS and Cornel CTT results of the respondents yielded a coefficient of 0.81 for each of them, that means Dorathy’s CTS has a high similarities index with Cornel which is an existing standardized CTS. Hence, DCTS has the construct of critical thinking skills.

Research Question 2: What is the construct validity of critical thinking scale (CTS) using subscale-total correlation?

To answer this research question 2, scores of the students in each sub-scale and total scale of DCTS were correlated using Pearson’s product moment correlation, the result gotten were displayed in table 2

Correlated scaleCoefficientSig Assumption Scale Vs Overall CTS                0.497                 .000 Deductive Scale Vs Overall CTS                  0.657                 .000 Problem solving Scale Vs Overall CTS         0.580                  .000 Inductive Scale Vs Overall CTS                    0.548                   .000 Interpretation Scale Vs Overall CTS             0.425                 .000 Definition Scale Vs Overall CTS                  0.587                  .000 Analysis Scale Vs Overall CTS                    0.344                  .000

Table 2 revealed that the degree of the construct validity of the items based on individual sub-scale and the over-all total scales. For instance; the correlation between the sub-scale of deductive reasoning and the overall DCST yielded a coefficient of 0.657, which in the highest one, this is followed by that of correlation of definition reasoning and its overall DCTS that showed a coefficient 0.587, thirdly, was the correlation between the sub-scale of problem solving and the overall scale revealed a coefficient of 0.580, another one was the correlation between the sub-scale of inductive reasoning and the overall DCST had a coefficient of 0.548, next was the correlation between the sub-scale of assumption and the overall DCST that realized a coefficient 0.497, also, the correlation between the sub-scale of interpretation and the overall DCST produced a coefficient 0.425, lastly, the correlation between the sub-scale of analysis and the overall DCST showed a coefficient 0.34 respectively. Since each of the sub-scale and their overall scale had all their results correlated positively, it means that all the items have been proven to be valid as developed by the researcher.

Discussion

To discuss the results of this study, the result of the first research question showed that there was a joint by correlating the construct validity of Dorathy critical thinking scale and Cornel critical thinking test developed for three hundred level students in the universities in south-south geopolitical zone was statistically significant. This is in line with the statement of some authors and researchers. For examples Orluwene (2012) stated that convergent validity is a validity that is based on assumption that various measures of the same hypothetical construct have to be correlated very high with another if the measures are valid. Also, it agrees with Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and well-Being Research 2014, Springe the assertion that convergent validity is a related construct test that should be highly correlated (Link, Retrieved 18th May, 2020). Although effective convergent validity identifies that a test that has very good correlation with other items intended to measure theoretically, so the scores on the items may be correlated with scores on other items that are also designed to measure critical statistics; and a very good correlations among the items scores would be proof of convergent Validity Williams (2018) construct means a trait or ability which is dependent on theories; it is like an abstract thought in the brains of people that cannot be determined by sight. In order words, it describes how well a scaling items measure what it intended to measure. The evidence of this result can be said that there is no much difference between the two instruments. Hence, Nigerians have gotten an indigenous instrument on critical thinking for her students and it will serve as a guide for the lecturers to impact the necessary domains in the students, so that they can perform very well within and outside the country as well solve the societal problems.

Similarly, for construct validity of the Dorathy’s CTS using subscale-total correlation, it is evidence that the subscale-total correlation of construct validity of the 50 critical thinking scales (assumption, deduction, problem solving, induction, interpretation, definition and analysis) developed in this study for three hundred level students in the universities in south-south geopolitical zone was statistically significant. Hence, the values realized shows that there is a strong positive correlation between the sub-scale items and the item total correlatively in terms of the construct validity of the (CTS) developed is the researcher. Similarly, it also shows that the items are measuring the same construct measured by the other items based on the fact that the correlation values gotten were high, which means that the corresponding items actually correlate very well with the scale overall and thus, has to be retained. This is in line with Ruzela T et al. (2018) findings can be accepted, and again, the values for total correlation that shows good discrimination of the construct validity of developed items  and the values of 0.4 and the above shows that the construct validity of the items-total correlate.

Conclusions

Based on the data analyzed for this study, it was concluded that:

The respondents had equal performance in CCTT with DCTS.

Again, Dorathy’s CTS possessed construct validity.

Recommendations

1. It was recommended that the Dorathy’s critical thinking scale was valid; hence, examining bodies, stake holders and lecturers in the universities should consider assessing their students using valid instrument.
2. Other intending researchers should consider carrying out evaluation of critical thinking scale to ensure adequate decision making in the use of developed instrument.

 

 

 

 

 

REFERENCE

Bridge, L. (2013). what is a university. Top Universities. https//www.topuniversities.com/blog/what-university

 

Cooman, D. R., Gieter, D. S., Pepermans, R., Jeger, M., and Acker, F. V. (2009).      Development and Validation of the work effort Scale. European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 25(7).

Chou, C. C. Y., Huang, C. Y., Lin, G. H., Huang, S. L., Lee, S., and Hsieh, C. (2017).

Comparison of Construct Validity of Two Short Forms of Stokes- Specific Quality of Life Scale. Journals.Pols.org/polsone/article?id=10.1371 journal.phone.0.188478

Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and well-Being Research 2014, Springe

 

Ennis, R. H., Millman, J., and Tomko, T. N. (2005). Cornell critical thinking tests Level X and Level Z manual (5th ed.). . Seaside, CA: The Critical Thinking Co.

 

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/stratified_random_sampling.asp retrieved 30th July 2019.

Huang, C. H. (2017). Development Validation of a quality of Life Scale for Elementary School Students. International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology, 17(2).

 

Morrish, H. (2015). The telegraph, four reasons why university is still https://www.Telegraph.com.uk

 

Pipa, J., peixoto, F., L, M., Montaro, and Sanches, C. (2017). The Goal Orientation Scale (GOS): validation for Portugese student. European Journal of Developmental Psychology, 14(4).

 

Orluwene, G. W. (2012). Introduction to Test Theory and Development Process. Chris- Ron Integrated Service.

 

Ruzela T, Nik, A. N., and Sharfah, N., A. (2018). Relaibility and Validity of the Instrument Measuring Values in Mathematics Classrooms. Online Journal of Educational Sciences, 6(2).

 

Tay, and Jebb, A. (2017). Scale Developmen. In S. Regeberg (Ed.), the SAGE Encyclopedia of Industrial and Organizational Psychology 2nd Ed.  Thousand Oaks CA Sage

 

Williams, Y. (2018). Validity in Psychology: Types and Definition. study.com/academy/lesson/less/validity-in-psychology-types-definition

 

 

• Prev
• Next