Diskuze v psychologii 2024, 6(1):9-16 | DOI: 10.5507/dvp.2025.003

Critical thinking dispositions in relation to academic success

Ema Lukačková*, Gabriela Šeboková
Fakulta sociálnych vied a zdravotníctva, UKF, Kraskova 1, Nitra 949 01, Slovensko

Critical thinking is considered a key skill of the 21st century. It is regarded as one of the main components of adaptation to everyday situations; however, its relationship with academic success remains unclear. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between two aspects of academic success (AS) (personal AS, achievement AS) and critical thinking dispositions (CT). Another objective was to determine whether CT dispositions predicts AS. The research sample consisted of 110 psychology students. Personal AS was measured using the CLEI questionnaire (Newton et al., 2008), while achievement AS was assessed through the grade point average from the previous semester. CT dispositions were measured using the Critical Thinking Disposition Scale (Sosu, 2013). The results indicated a significant positive relationship between CT dispositions and personal AS in overall scores, as well as in almost all dimensions of both variables. No relationship was found between CT dispositions and achievement AS. CT dispositions predicted significantly personal AS.

Keywords: critical thinking dispositions, achievement academic achievement, personal academic achievement

Received: March 25, 2025; Revised: April 1, 2025; Accepted: April 1, 2025; Prepublished online: October 20, 2025; Published: October 21, 2025  Show citation

ACS AIP APA ASA Harvard Chicago Chicago Notes IEEE ISO690 MLA NLM Turabian Vancouver
Lukačková E, Šeboková G. Critical thinking dispositions in relation to academic success. Diskuze v psychologii. 2024;6(1):9-16. doi: 10.5507/dvp.2025.003.
Download citation

References

  1. Al-Zarfi, A. J. K., Qalavandi, H., Hosni, M. (2024). The Effect of E-Learning on Academic Progress, Critical Thinking, Higher Thinking and Student Satisfaction with the Mediating Role of Academic Self-Efficacy, Learning Motivation and Student Participation. Kurdish Studies, 12(1), 4935-4951.
  2. Alyahyan, E. Düştegör, D. (2020). Predicting Academic Success in Higher Education: Literature Review and Best Practices. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 17(3). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-020-0177-7 Go to original source...
  3. Bacon, D. R., Bean, B. (2006). GPA in research studies: An invaluable but neglected opportunity. Journal of Marketing Education, 28(1), 35-42. Go to original source...
  4. Bavoľár, J., Ferjenčík, J., Kačmár, P., (2021). Pokročilé štatistické metódy v behaviorálnych a sociálnych vedách. Košice: UPJŠ v Košiciach, Filozofická fakulta. 460 s. ISBN 978-80-574-0021-9.
  5. Cansoy, R., Türkoglu, M. E. (2017). Examining the Relationship between Pre-Service Teachers' Critical Thinking Disposition, Problem Solving Skills and Teacher Self-Efficacy. International Education Studies, 10(6), 23-35. Go to original source...
  6. Celik, I., Sariçam, H., Sakiz, H., Ilbay, A. İ. (2015). The link between critical thinking dispositions and life satisfaction among university students: The mediating role of meaning in life. Ozean Journal of Social Science, 8(3), 121-138.
  7. Dweck, C. S., Leggett, E. L. (1988). A social-cognitive approach to motivation and personality. Psychological Review, 95(2), 256-273. Go to original source...
  8. EHEA. (2024). Ministerial Conference. [online]. Dostupné na internete: https://ehea.info/Immagini/ Tirana-Communique.pdf
  9. Eom, S., Choi, Y. J., Lee, B. H. (2019). The influence of problem-solving ability and critical thinking on the major satisfaction of dental hygiene student-focused on mediating effects of critical Thinking. Journal of the Korea Convergence Society, 10(12), 151-158.
  10. Facione, P. A. (1990). Critical thinking: A statement of expert consensus for purposes of educational assessment and instruction. Newark, DE: American Philosophical Association.
  11. Facione, P. A. (2000). The disposition toward critical thinking: Its character, measurement, and relationship to critical thinking skill. Informal logic, 20(1). Go to original source...
  12. Fong, C. J., Kim, Y., Davis, C. W., Hoang, T., Kim, Y. W. (2017). A meta-analysis on critical thinking and community college student achievement. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 26, 71-83. Go to original source...
  13. Fryer Jr, R. G., Levitt, S. D., List, J., Sadoff, S. (2022). Enhancing the efficacy of teacher incentives through framing: A field experiment. American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 14(4), 269-299. Go to original source...
  14. Hatos, A., Gyarmati, B.F. (2023). The reliability of self-reported GPA in educational research: a comparison of self-reported and officially recorded data. Revista Românească pentru Educaţie Multidimensională, 15(4), 159-177. https://doi.org/10.18662/rrem/15.4/786 Go to original source...
  15. Jayanthi, S. V., Balakrishnan, S., Ching, A. L. S., Latiff, N. A. A., Nasirudeen, A. M. A. (2014). Factors contributing to academic performance of students in a tertiary institution in Singapore. American Journal of Educational Research, 2(9), 752-758. Go to original source...
  16. Kahu, E., Nelson, K., Picton, C. (2017). Student interest as a key driver of engagement for first year students. Student Success, 8(2), 55-66. Go to original source...
  17. Kim, E., Newton, F. B., Downey, R. G., Benton, S. L. (2010). Personal factors impacting college student success: Constructing college learning effectiveness inventory (CLEI). College Student Journal, 44(1), 112-126.
  18. Kim, H., Lee, E. K., Park, S. Y. (2015). Critical thinking disposition, self-efficacy, and stress of Korean nursing students. Indian Journal of Science and Technology, 8(18), 1. Go to original source...
  19. Kuh, G. D., Kinzie, J. L., Buckley, J. A., Bridges, B. K., Hayek, J. C. (2006). What matters to student success: A review of the literature (Vol. 8). Washington, DC: National Postsecondary Education Cooperative.
  20. Landa-Blanco, M., Cortés-Ramos, A. (2021). Psychology students' attitudes towards research: the role of critical thinking, epistemic orientation, and satisfaction with research courses. Heliyon, 7(12). Go to original source...
  21. Lee, S. Y., Kang, S. J. (2020). The effects of team-based learning education on critical thinking, interpersonal relationships, self-leadership and academic major satisfaction. International Journal of Elderly Welfare Promotion and Management, 4(1), 7-14. Go to original source...
  22. Lukačková, E., Šeboková, G. (2024). Vzťah kritického myslenia a akademického úspechu u študentov vysokých škôl. Pomáhajúce profesie, 7(2), 22-30. Go to original source...
  23. Lv, X., Ma, J., Brinthaupt, T. M., Zhao, S., Ren, X. (2022). Impacts of university lockdown during the coronavirus pandemic on college students' academic achievement and critical thinking: A longitudinal study. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 995784. Go to original source...
  24. Meijer J. (2001). Stress in the relation between trait and state anxiety. Psychological reports, 88(3 Pt 2), 947-964. https://doi.org/10.2466/pr0.2001.88.3c.947 Go to original source...
  25. Moore, B. N., Parker, R. (2012). Critical thinking. McGraw-Hill.
  26. Moss, B. G., Yeaton, W. H. (2015). Failed warnings: Evaluating the impact of academic probation warning letters on student achievement. Evaluation Review, 39(5), 501-524. Go to original source...
  27. Newman, D. B., Nezlek, J. B. (2019). Private self-consciousness in daily life: Relationships between rumination and reflection and well-being, and meaning in daily life. Personality and individual differences, 136, 184-189. Go to original source...
  28. Newton, F. B., Kim, E., Wilcox, D., Beemer, N., Johnson, A., Tseng, W. C., Benton, S. (2008). Administration and scoring manual for the college learning effectiveness inventory (CLEI). Kansas State University, Manhattan.
  29. Orhan, A. (2022). The relationship between critical thinking and academic achievement: A meta-analysis study. Psycho-Educational Research Reviews, 11(1), 283-299. Go to original source...
  30. Ostermann, T., Pawelkiwitz, M., Cramer, H. (2022). The influence of mindfulness-based interventions on the academic performance of students measured by their GPA. A systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 16, 961070. Go to original source...
  31. Pai, H. C., Eng, C. J. (2013). The relationships among critical thinking disposition, caring behavior, and learning styles in student nurses. Open Journal of Nursing, 3, 249-256. doi: 10.4236/ojn.2013.32034. Go to original source...
  32. Park, J. H., Bae, S. H. (2022). Emergency Nurses' Critical Thinking Disposition, Problem Solving Ability, and Triage Competency. Journal of muscle and joint health, 29(2), 124-132.
  33. Partido, B. B., Soto, I. (2019). Association between critical thinking and academic performance in dental hygiene students. Journal of Dental Education, 83(1), 32-38. Go to original source...
  34. Richardson, M., Abraham, C., Bond, R. (2012). Psychological correlates of university students' academic performance: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychological bulletin, 138(2), 353. Go to original source...
  35. Ross, D., Loeffler, K., Schipper, S., Vandermeer, B., Allan, G. M. (2013). Do scores on three commonly used measures of critical thinking correlate with academic success of health professions trainees? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Academic Medicine, 88(5), 724-734. Go to original source...
  36. Sosu, E. M. (2013). The development and psychometric validation of a Critical Thinking Disposition Scale. Thinking skills and creativity, 9, 107-119. Go to original source...
  37. Sternberg, R. J. (1986). Critical Thinking: Its Nature, Measurement, and Improvement.
  38. Tasgin, A., Dilek, C. (2023). The mediating role of critical thinking dispositions between secondary school student's self-efficacy and problem-solving skills. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 50, 101400. Go to original source...
  39. Tong, L. K., Au, M. L., Li, Y. Y., Ng, W. I., Wang, S. C. (2023). The mediating effect of critical thinking between interest in learning and caring among nursing students: a cross-sectional study. BMC nursing, 22(1), 30. Go to original source...
  40. Wang, C., Wu, SY., Nie, YZ. et al. Open-mindedness trait affects the development of intercultural communication competence in short-term overseas study programs: a mixed-method exploration. BMC Med Educ 22, 219 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-022-03281-2 Go to original source...
  41. WEF, (2025). The Global Risk Report 2025. Dostupné online: https://reports.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Global_Risks_Report_2025.pdf
  42. Whitney, E. M., Aleksejuniene, J., Walton, J. N. (2016). Critical thinking disposition and skills in dental students: development and relationship to academic outcomes. Journal of Dental Education, 80(8), 948-958. Go to original source...
  43. Williams, R. L. (2003). Critical thinking as a predictor and outcome measure in a large undergraduate educational psychology course. (Report No. TM-035-016). Knoxville, TN: University of Tennessee. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED478075)
  44. Wisco, B. E., Plate, May, C. L, Aldao, A. (2018). A latent profile analysis of repetitive negative thinking: Distinguishing ruminators from worriers. Journal of Experimental Psychopathology, 9(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/2043808718811428 Go to original source...
  45. York, T. T., Gibson, Ch., Rankin, S. (2015). Defining and Measuring Academic Success. Practical Assessment, Research, and Evaluation: 20 (5).
  46. Yüce, E. (2023). Critical thinking, autonomous learning, and academic grit among preservice EFL teachers. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 50, 101382. Go to original source...

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which permits use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original publication is properly cited. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.