Developing Critical Thinking Skills in Undergraduate CSD Students through a Case Study Project

Critical thinking skills are crucial for Speech-Language Pathologists to effectively assess, diagnose, and treat communication disorders. However, the optimal timing for teaching these skills to future clinicians remains an open question. Most of the current research is focused on developing critical thinking skills in graduate students, though there is some evidence to suggest that students should be working to develop critical thinking skills during their undergraduate education. This work describes the critical thinking skills demonstrated by undergraduate students in a Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD program) through a case study project, as well as their self-perceptions. Results indicate relative weakness related to the specific critical thinking skills of inference, evaluation, explanation, and self-regulation, while students perceive that they are demonstrating these skills to a significant degree. These findings suggest specific attention should be given to these skills to support their continued development. The incongruence between student scores and self-perception underscores the need for targeted instruction to enhance both skill development and metacognitive awareness in undergraduate CSD students.