Development and Evaluation of a Skill-Based Curricular Overlay to Improve Critical Thinking in Introductory Psychology

Background Introductory Psychology (Intro Psych) provides an opportunity to train key critical thinking skills. Recent models for Intro Psych propose adapting the course to establish research methods and the attendant critical thinking skills as the course foundation, applied iteratively throughout course content. Objective This study developed and evaluated an integrated critical thinking curriculum for Intro Psych that provided repeated, scaffolded practice embedded throughout the term. The curriculum serves as an overlay for existing courses, requiring minimal revision to the existing courses. Method Backward design-informed development of the whole critical thinking curriculum. Evaluation took place at both a 4-year and 2-year college. The sample included 334 Intro Psych students across 15 classrooms (8 experimental; 7 control). Assessment measures included three subscales of the Psychological Critical Thinking Exam. Results Students in classes implementing the curriculum scored significantly higher on the critical thinking assessment. There was no evidence for differential effects across the two colleges. Teaching Implications Integrating this critical thinking curriculum into existing Intro Psych courses can support students’ critical thinking skill development. The whole curriculum is available electronically. Conclusion These findings support the use of an integrated critical thinking curriculum in Intro Psych to support students’ critical thinking skills.