Today’s world demands new ways of dealing with problems and different ways of preparing for them. Some studies argue that these new demands also require new skills. Critical thinking (CT) involves a set of skills that are entirely relevant to today’s adaptive needs. In this study, we explore the extent to which CT serves to both account for and improve academic performance. To do this, we measured the CT skills of a number of undergraduate students, along with their university admission grades and average course grades. We successfully established the structural validity of the general construct of CT, along with a strong relationship between CT measurements at two different timepoints (at the beginning and end of studying a critical thinking subject area) and the admission grade and average grade variables. These data lead us to reflect on using CT level as a suitable assessment of academic performance. We also consider the limits of our findings and their implications.

El pensamiento crítico puede mejorar si va acompañado de algunas metodologías como el aprendizaje basado en problemas (ABP). Hemos desarrollado un programa de enseñar/aprender a pensar, al que hemos incorporado esta técnica, aplicándolo a un grupo de estudiantes universitarios. Los resultados obtenidos en rendimiento académico han sido muy satisfactorios. Con el fin de medir los cambios antes y después de la instrucción, se utilizó también una prueba de evaluación del pensamiento crítico (PENCRISAL), en donde se han podido comprobar igualmente unos buenos resultados. En el rendimiento académico hemos ido constatando el progreso en las diferentes dimensiones de pensamiento, a lo largo de todo el proceso de evaluación continua llevado a cabo. Las habilidades o dimensiones fundamentales instruidas han sido cinco: deducción, inducción, razonamiento práctico, toma de decisiones y solución de problemas. En todas ellas, el rendimiento ha sido notable. El estudio del nivel de competencia en el test PENCRISAL ha mostrado diferencias significativas en todas las dimensiones del mismo, en la comparación de las puntuaciones pre-post. Las dimensiones del test son las mismas que las trabajadas en la instrucción y citadas anteriormente. En esas cinco dimensiones, ha habido cambios significativos en la medida postratamiento. En el futuro, incluiremos algunas modificaciones en el programa de instrucción y en la metodología de evaluación, fruto de la experiencia obtenida en este estudio.

In this paper, we propose an application of critical thinking (CT) to real-world problems, taking into account personal well-being (PB) and lifelong formation (FO). First, we raise a substantial problem with CT, which is that causal explanation is of little importance in solving everyday problems. If we care about everyday problems, we must treat the identification of causal relationships as a fundamental mechanism and action as a form of solution once the origin of the problem is unequivocally known. Decision-making and problem-solving skills should be the execution of the causal explanations reached. By acting this way, we change reality and achieve our goals, which are none other than those imposed by our PB. However, to achieve changes or results, we must have these fundamental competencies in CT, and these are not innate; we must acquire and develop them, that is, we must train ourselves to have CT competencies according to the demands of today’s world. Finally, in this paper we propose a causal model that seeks to identify and test the causal relationships that exist between the different factors or variables that determine the CT-PB-FO relationship. We present some results on the relevance of causality and how to effectively form and address real-world problems from causality. However, there are still questions to be clarified that need to be investigated in future studies.

This study examines the influence of critical thinking and psychological well-being on the academic performance of first-year college students. It emphasizes the importance of a model of psychological well-being focused on self-acceptance, environmental mastery and purpose in life, along with a critical thinking approach oriented to problem solving and decision making. A total of 128 first-year psychology students from a Spanish public university participated, assessed by means of Ryff’s psychological well-being scale (PWBS) and the PENCRISAL critical thinking test, complemented with grades obtained in a critical thinking course. The results show positive correlations between psychological well-being, critical thinking and academic performance, with a stronger relationship between critical thinking and academic performance. However, psychological well-being also plays a significant role in academic performance. The findings highlight the need for holistic pedagogical approaches that combine cognitive skills and personal development to enhance first-year students’ learning.