The Development of an English Test for Measuring Critical Thinking Skills

A Pilot Study

Abstract

Critical thinking ability is a generic ability that should be developed through both English and Japanese language educational curricula. However, there has been no attempt to test this ability for Japanese EFL learners. Thus, we have developed a multiple-choice-items test called the English Critical Thinking Test (ECTT), which measures not only English ability but also three subcomponents of critical thinking skills: logical thinking (consistency), analytical skills (which we name analysis), and drawing appropriate conclusions using inductive and deductive reasoning (inference). The target level of the test is from A2 to B1 level of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). To evaluate the validity of the test, we built a validity argument based on the framework proposed by Chapelle, Enright, and Jamieson (2008), which consists of six inferences (domain definition, evaluation, generalization, explanation, extrapolation, and use), and examined eventually 22 items, using item analysis, factor analysis, multidimensional scaling, and correlational analysis. As a result, three factors of “Consistency & Inference,” “English ability & Consistency,” and “Analysis & Calculation” were extracted and the ECTT moderately correlated with the English Proficiency Test (EPT) (r = .43), which provides support for the ECTT measuring English proficiency as well as critical thinking skills.