Critical thinking and discovering the meaning of unfamiliar terms through the word part analysis strategy: A study of Iranian medical students

• The relationship between critical thinking (CT) and guessing of the meaning of unknown terms was investigated.
• California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) and two MC-tests with familiar and unfamiliar technical terms were used.
• The utilized instruments were California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) and two MC-tests; one with familiar technical terms and the other with unfamiliar terms.
• It was suggested that teachers should utilize unfamiliar terms while teaching since this measure might boost CT.
• It was suggested that teachers should utilize unfamiliar terms while teaching since this measure might boost critical thinking.

ESP courses designed for medical students are often concerned with word building and the memorization of word parts, which is explained by the key role medical terms play in understanding the related literature. It is expected that students who master these skills will be able to deduce the meanings of unfamiliar terms they will inevitably encounter. However, not all students have the same levels of ability to master these skills. Following the theory which suggests that critical thinkers are problem solvers, it was hypothesized that better critical thinkers might be better able to cope with unfamiliar terms. Therefore, this research was conducted with the aim of investigating the relationship between critical thinking and guessing the meanings of familiar and unfamiliar medical terms through the word part analysis strategy. The California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) was utilized along with two multiple choice (MC) tests, consisting of familiar and unfamiliar terms respectively. The results of this study indicated a stronger relationship between the CCTST and the MC test of unfamiliar terms, supporting the researcher's hypothesis. Implications are then discussed concerning the teaching and testing of medical terminology based on unfamiliar terms.