مجله ایرانی آموزش در علوم پزشکی (Apr 2017)
Critical Thinking Skills of Medical Students at Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences
Abstract
Introduction: Critical thinking is one of the main goals of education and the accreditation criteria of educational centers, which has been emphasized by the World Federation of Medical Education in medical education. The purpose of this study was to identify critical thinking skills in medical students at Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 181 medical students studying basic sciences. Subjects were selected through convenience sampling. Critical thinking skills were evaluated using the B form of California critical thinking skills test (CCTST) containing 34 items. The average score of critical thinking skills was 15.89; less-than-average scores was considered weak critical thinking skills and higher-than-average scores was considered good critical thinking skills. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t-test and Pearson correlation coefficient. Results: The mean score and standard deviation of students’ critical thinking skills was 7.53±2.98 namely less than 50% of the total score (compared to 15.89 as the average). There was no significant difference in medical students’ critical thinking skills in terms of sex, age and academic performance (p≥0.05). Conclusion: Results showed that the critical thinking skills of medical students were lower than the average level and weak. Given the importance of critical thinking in clinical decision-making, university faculty members are expected to focus more on developing critical thinking in medical students.
