Student Responses on Critical Thinking Instruments in Biology and Physics in Fall 2020 and Spring 2021

<p>This data was collected to evaluate the efficacy of critical thinking assessment questions to probe students’ critical thinking skills in the context of biology and physics. The researchers used two research-based standardized critical thinking instruments known as the Biology Lab Inventory of Critical Thinking in Ecology (Eco-BLIC) and Physics Lab Inventory of Critical Thinking (PLIC). These instruments provide experimental scenarios and pose questions asking students to evaluate what to trust and what to do regarding the quality of experimental designs and data. Using more than 3000 student responses from over 20 institutions, they sought to understand what features of the assessment questions elicit student critical thinking. Specifically, (a) how students critically
evaluate aspects of research studies in biology and physics when they are considering one study at a time versus comparing and contrasting two and (b)whether individual evaluation questions are needed to encourage students to engage in critical thinking when comparing and contrasting.</p>