Specialized Upper Secondary Education in Ukraine: Modern Instruments for Assessing Critical Thinking

- Малихін, Олександр Володимирович (orcid.org/0000-0001-6042-6298) and Ліпчевська, Інна Леонідівна (orcid.org/0000-0002-6901-5863) (2026) Specialized Upper Secondary Education in Ukraine: Modern Instruments for Assessing Critical Thinking Наука і техніка сьогодні, 5 (59). pp. 2463-2471. ISSN 2786-6025

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Abstract

The article analyzes international instruments for assessing critical thinking and identifies possibilities for their application in the system of specialized upper secondary education in Ukraine. The relevance of the study is determined by the implementation of the State Standard of Specialized Upper Secondary Education (2024), in which the ability to think critically and systematically is defined as one of the cross-cutting skills of students. The purpose of the article is to analyze validated international instruments for assessing critical thinking and the possibilities of their adaptation and application in the system of specialized upper secondary education in Ukraine. The study presents a comparative analysis of six instruments: the Watson–Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal, Cornell Critical Thinking Tests Levels X and Z, the California Critical Thinking Skills Test, the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory, the Holistic Critical Thinking Scoring Rubric, and the Teaching for Thinking Student Course Evaluation Form. The analysis examines their target age groups, structure, testing duration, components of critical thinking assessed, indicators of reliability and validity, as well as the advantages and limitations of their application in the Ukrainian educational context. It was established that none of the analyzed instruments has a confirmed official Ukrainian-language version, which necessitates translation, local piloting, and validation of score interpretation. The study substantiates that the Cornell Critical Thinking Test Level X is the most promising instrument for large-scale screening assessment; the combination of the California Critical Thinking Skills Test and the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory is the most appropriate for in-depth diagnostic assessment; and the Holistic Critical Thinking Scoring Rubric together with the Teaching for Thinking Student Course Evaluation Form is the most suitable for formative assessment. It is concluded that the most methodologically sound approach for specialized upper secondary education in Ukraine is the development of a critical thinking assessment system that combines standardized tests, instruments for evaluating students’ work, and feedback tools for determining the extent to which the educational environment supports the development of students’ thinking.

Item Type:	Article
Keywords:	Сritical thinking; critical thinking assessment; specialized upper secondary education; standardized tests; psychometric characteristics; multimethod assessment; adaptation of international assessment instruments
Subjects:	Science and knowledge. Organization. Computer science. Information. Documentation. Librarianship. Institutions. Publications > 1 Philosophy. Psychology Science and knowledge. Organization. Computer science. Information. Documentation. Librarianship. Institutions. Publications > 3 Social Sciences > 37 Education > 373 Kinds of school providing general education
Divisions:	Institute of Pedagogics > Department of Didactics
Depositing User:	Інна Леонідівна Ліпчевська
Date Deposited:	29 Jun 2026 12:00
Last Modified:	29 Jun 2026 12:00
URI:	https://lib.iitta.gov.ua/id/eprint/749752

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