article information

Educational Research in Medical Sciences: Vol.3, issue 1; e81198
published online: December 02, 2014
article type: Research Article
received: January 21, 2014
accepted: May 28, 2014

The Correlation between Critical Thinking Disposition and Academic Achievement of Preclinical and Clinical Medical Students at Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences

authors:

avatar Vida Sepahi 1 , avatar Mohammad Rasool Khazaei 2 , * , avatar Ahmad Khoshay 3 , avatar Shirin Iranfar 4 , avatar Mehnoush Timare 3

Ph.D Student of Higher Education Management, Allameh Tabatabaei University, College of Graduate Studies Authority, Tehran, Iran
Fertility and Infertility Research Center, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
Department of Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
Education Development Center, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran

how to cite: Sepahi V , Khazaei M R, Khoshay A , Iranfar S , Timare M . The Correlation between Critical Thinking Disposition and Academic Achievement of Preclinical and Clinical Medical Students at Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences. Educ Res Med Sci. 2014;3(1):e81198. 

Abstract

Introduction: Critical thinking skill is an essential factor for success in today’s rapidly developing world. The present study was carried out to compare the association between critical thinking disposition and academic achievement in preclinical and clinical medical students.
Methods: This study was descriptive-correlational in which the sample included 259 medical students at Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences selected through stratified random sampling. The standard critical thinking disposition inventory (with validity of 0.8 and the students’ report card grades as criterion for academic achievement) was used to collect the data. Data were analyzed by SPSS 16 software using descriptive statistics, t-test, and Kolmogrov-Smirnov and correlation coefficient tests.
Results: The mean of critical thinking disposition in the preclinical stage was 209.08±26.24 indicating a significant correlation with academic achievement (p=0.003, r=-2.64). In the clinical stage, however, the mean of critical thinking disposition was 214.07±28.15 which showed no significant correlation with academic achievement. Moreover, the mean of critical thinking disposition and its components in preclinical and clinical stages revealed not significant correlation and merely curiosity component showed a significant correlation (p=0.04).
Conclusion: The results of the present study showed no correlation between critical thinking disposition and academic achievement in the clinical stage; however, this correlation was negatively significant in the preclinical stage.

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