Properties Described in a Mock

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The Nelson Critical Thinking Test (NCTT): Evaluation

Q1.What evidence is presented regarding the reliability of the NCTT? Evaluate the meaning and adequacy of this evidence.

Reliability is the ability of a test to consistently produce the same results, when the test is given to a different group of people possessing similar demographic characteristics (in this case, college students). The Nelson Critical Thinking Test (NCTT) shows a high level of reliability: when administered to 332 undergraduate students, retesting between the two sets of scores was .89. Another study found strong consistency between the NCTT and existing critical thinking test instruments such as the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal (r=.61, p

Q2. What evidence is presented regarding the content-related validity of the NCTT? Evaluate both the meaning and the adequacy of content-related evidence for the validity of the NCTT.

According to the stated aim of the test, the NCTT was designed to assess students' critical thinking abilities. Content-related validity is the ability of a test to thoroughly assess all aspects of its stated aim -- for example, a general intelligence test that merely tested verbal ability alone would have poor content validity. Nelson specifically did not want to make a critical thinking appraisal a test of verbal intelligence alone.

Instead, Nelson defined critical thinking as the ability to understand the meaning of a statement or argument; the ability to recognize the assumptions behind a statement or argument; the ability to indentify central arguments and assumptions and critically evaluate their strength and relevance; and to be able assess inferences and conclusions behind statements. Despite Nelson's concerns, this emphasis on evaluating arguments stresses the verbal and reading-based nature of critical thinking. It is a limited and academic definition of what constitutes critical thinking. Despite Nelson's supposed intention, analyzing arguments in print require a strong vocabulary and training in reading on an academic level about how to weigh pros and cons in a logical fashion.

Q3. What evidence is presented regarding the criterion-related validity of the NCTT? Evaluate the meaning and adequacy of this evidence.

Criterion-related validity compares the results of the test with already-accepted criteria for evaluating that skill or fact. In the case of NCTT, the correlation between participants' NCTT scores and first-year college grade point average was .30 (p

Q4. What evidence is presented regarding the construct-related validity of the NCTT? Evaluate the meaning and adequacy of this evidence.

A test having high construct-related validity means that it adequately tests for or measures the construct or criteria originally set forth by the examiner. Nelson presented the test-takers with a passage on a controversial topic which contained "unstated assumptions, various pieces of data/evidence, and several inferences," and then subjected the test-taker to a series of 32 multiple-choice items. The responses would then be scored from 2 (best or most critical response), 1 (acceptable response), or 0 (incorrect or a response indicating a lack of critical thinking skills). To minimize bias in favor or against a political argument, two rather than one correct answers were included, one less correct answer, and one incorrect answer.

While this test seems like a good test of critical READING, Nelson's supposed intention was to test critical thinking skills in a more holistic sense, and this passage is solely dependent upon being able to read and interpret a passage. However, it does test the ability to evaluate arguments to some degree, which is how the test creator defined critical thinking.

Q5. Describe one use of the NCTT that you believe is justified, given the information provided in the manual.

This might be a good test for students entering college to see if they are able to evaluate and weigh arguments in print. Students who cannot do so may need basic skills training in reading to succeed in social studies and humanities classes, and even in the natural sciences.