Validating the Critical Thinking Assessment-Scale Short Form (CTAS-SF) from High School Students’ Perspectives: A Sequential Pilot Testing

Critical thinking is a fundamental educational goal that requires the ability to analyze information and evaluate evidence to make reasoned judgments. However, many existing critical thinking assessment tools face challenges, including lengthy formats that are impractical in real-world educational settings and psychometric issues such as limited reliability and unclear validity. This study addresses this gap by validating the Critical Thinking Assessment Scale-Short Form (CTAS-SF) within the under-explored context of Arabic-medium schools in Brunei. By employing a mixed-methods design, the study incorporated cognitive think-aloud interviews (n = 10) and a cross-sectional survey (n = 248). Through EFA and CFA analyses, the study revealed a robust five-factor model that demonstrates strong internal reliability, aligning with contemporary conceptualizations of critical thinking. Evidence of convergent and discriminant validity further supports the instrument's robustness. The study concludes that the new five-factor model is a valid and reliable tool for assessing high school students’ critical thinking, offering practitioners and researchers an efficient measure suitable for classroom-based evaluation and large-scale educational research.