Comparison of the Critical Thinking Skills among Medical Students in Different Educational Levels in Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences in 2013

Critical thinking is one of the most important types of thinking and a necessary skill for accurate decision-making. The aim of this study's to investigate and compare the critical thinking disposition in various educational levels of medical students of Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences.In this cross-sectional study Ricketts Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CTDI) questionnaire accompanied by some demographic and educational questions were used. The questionnaires were submitted to 250 students of whom 165 (66%) were finally returned the completed questionnaire. Data were analyzed using statistical tests including Correlation, Student’s t and ANOVA. The mean score of critical thinking disposition in 165 students participating in our study was determined to be equal to 11.22±1.31. The critical thinking in male students was statistically higher than female ones (11.41±1.34 versus 10.94±1.21). There was a weak but significant reverse correlation between critical thinking disposition score and students’ mean scores of passed lessons (r=-0.156, p=0.045). Furthermore, mean scores of the maturity and engagement subscales significantly differed in various educational levels (p≤0.05 and p=0.02, respectively). Critical thinking disposition in medical students of Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences was relatively estimated satisfactory, compared to many other Iranian universities; however it seems that the need for teaching and applying the critical thinking skills is especially more imperative for internship students.