Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education

Abstract

The importance of assessing critical thinking has been emphasized extensively by numerous administrators and educators in higher education worldwide. In a contemporary agricultural sustainable development environment, agricultural students need to develop critical thinking to manage complex situations and to deal with controversial issues in international agriculture settings. From psychological points of view, thinking varies cross-culturally. In other words, people from different cultures think differently. With the increasing number of Chinese students studying in the U.S., educators need to be aware of the importance of supporting these Chinese students within the intercultural classroom environment. Thus, it is necessary to explore and understand the way Chinese students think to help them more easily adapt to a culturally diverse educational environment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the validity and reliability of a Chinese version of the University of Florida Critical Thinking Inventory (UFCTI). The UFCTI measures critical thinking styles using two constructs: engagement and seeking information. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was applied to examine the hypothesized measurement model based on the theoretical foundations of the original UFCTI (English version). The CFA findings indicated the UFCTI measurement model between the two versions is equivalent. Specifically, the results confirmed the two-factor measurement of critical thinking style: engagement and seeking information. The findings also indicated adequate validity and reliability for the UFCTI Chinese version.

Keywords: critical thinking style, Chinese students, confirmatory factor analysis, agricultural education

How to Cite:

Baker, M., Lu, P. & Lamm, A. J., (2021) “Assessing the Dimensional Validityand Reliability of the University of Florida Critical Thinking Inventory (UFCTI) in Chinese: A Confirmatory Factor Analysis”, Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education 28(3), 41-56. doi: https://doi.org/10.5191/jiaee.2021.28341

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