Military Review English Edition November-December 2015 | Page 121

CRITICAL THINKING

Halpern Criticial Thinking Assessment percentile rank

thinking skills: verbal reasoning, argument analysis,
toward it.”17 Student reactions to training were collectand thinking as hypothesis testing (this test also
ed through anonymous online surveys. These enabled
served as a posttest in level 2). The pretest accommanagers to continuously refine the program to keep
plished numerous objectives.
students challenged but not overwhelmed.
First, the pretest enabled training managers to
Training assessment level 2: learning.
identify incoming students’ individual and collective
According to Kirkpatrick, assessing the learning is
strengths and weaknesses. Then, they could customize important because unless students have gained some
the instruction to meet their precise learning needs.
new knowledge, skills, or attitudes, there will be no
Next, it enabled trainers to empower those inchange of behavior on the job.18
coming students who had already mastered parThe faculty assessed students’ learning in two
ticular subskills to assist in teaching. This practice
ways. First, they used a posttest based on the
extended the learning environment to include times
HCTA, which students would take during their
and locations beyond the classroom, such as in the
final week of training. As illustrated in figure 2,
dining facilities and student lodging. Informal peerthe students in the 2013 and 2014 cycles increased
to-peer teaching accelerated the learning for many
their average critical thinking composite scores by
students during training and facilitated graduates’
18 percent, from the 71st percentile on the pretest
continued learning
when deployed.
In addition, the
100
pretest provided a
baseline from which
87.31
student learning
84.11
84.33
80
throughout the
73.67
training program
71.43
70.17
could subsequently
60
61.37
be measured.
56.33
Finally, it provided learners with an
enhanced self-aware40
ness. Many of the incoming students who
most needed critical
20
thinking instruction
arrived feeling confident in their critical
0
thinking skills. For
CTc
VR
AA
ThHT
them, the pretest was
an invaluable means
Ctc = Critical thinking composite score
to ignite their desire
Posttest
to learn.16
VR = Verbal reasoning score
Training assessAA = Argument analysis score
ment level 1: reacPretest
ThHT = Thinking as hypothesis testing
tion. According to
Kirkpatrick, “if training is to be effective,
it is important that
Figure 2. Student Gains in Critical Thinking Scores
trainees react favorably
during Fiscal Years 2013 and 2014
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