The impact of education trajectory, epistemological beliefs, and cultural beliefs on critical thinking disposition for East Asian learners

Abstract East Asian students in the West have been persistently perceived as lacking critical thinking skills, but research findings supporting this claim remain inconsistent. Some scholars argue that some East Asian students’ attitude towards criticality is restrained by their adherence to Confucian concepts, while others contend that certain belief systems in the culturally diverse East Asian region support the cultivation of criticality. This study investigates the relationship between East Asian learners’ educational trajectory, epistemological and cultural beliefs, and their critical thinking disposition. International East Asian students ( n = 118) at UK universities completed a questionnaire via Qualtrics. Multiple regression analysis indicated that: 1) educational duration in the UK was a significant predictor of critical thinking disposition; 2) epistemological beliefs in simple knowledge, certain knowledge, omniscient authority, and quick learning significantly and negatively predicted overall critical thinking disposition; simple knowledge, certain knowledge, and omniscient authority were significant predictors of misconceptions in criticality, which can hinder the development of critical thinking; 3) Restrictive Confucianism significantly and negatively predicted confidence, misconception, and overall criticality disposition, whereas Benevolent Confucianism positively predicted confidence and valuing in criticality disposition. Additionally, 4) Taoism significantly predicted valuing in criticality, suggesting Taoist tenants like embracing contradiction, might be beneficial in cultivating criticality. These findings may have the potential to inform the development of culturally sensitive pedagogical practices, and contribute to the movement of education decolonization in the Western Anglo-Americano systems.