The Halpern Critical Thinking Assessment: Toward a Dutch appraisal of critical thinking

Critical thinking is a vital component of 21st century skills. To assess this skill, a valid and reliable instrument is needed. This study focuses on the psychometric properties of the Dutch version of the Halpern Critical Thinking Assessment (HCTA). The HCTA was administered to university students in communications and psychology (N = 240), together with a Real-World Outcomes inventory (RWO-NL) used to measure negative life events. The number of negative life events was hypothesized to be inversely related to critical thinking ability. Reliability of the HCTA appeared adequate (α = .75; λ2 = .77), and factor analysis indicated that use of the constructed-response and forced-choice formats, with the five critical thinking subscales emerging for each, is an appropriate method for assessing critical thinking ability. Total HCTA and RWO-NL scores were not significantly related, r = −.11, ns. Recommendations for improving the Dutch HCTA are discussed.