Understanding Students' Critical Thinking Ability: A Comparative Case of Chinese and British Undergraduates.

The purpose of this study was to investigate to what extent the language factor contributes to students' critical thinking abilities. The critical thinking (CT) skills and abilities of final year undergraduate students studying on the same program were tested using a modified Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal questionnaire. The students were divided into two groups: a Chinese-educated group and native-speaking and British-educated one. The results indicated that the overall CT skills of the English-speaking students are higher than those of Chinese students and especially in certain aspects of the appraisal. It was also found that Chinese students performed better when completing the appraisal in their native language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]