Is There a Correlation between First-Year Critical Thinking Assessment Test Performance and Retention among Civil Engineering Students?

A team of faculty from the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Texas at Arlington received funding in 2010 to support a project entitled “Civil Engineering and Life Decisions: Choose Wisely.” The aim of the project is to improve the decision making capabilities of students with emphasis on critical thinking and alternative analysis. This is being accomplished through the development and implementation of targeted modules for required courses in the first year through the senior year. Gains in critical thinking capabilities are measured using the Critical Thinking Assessment Test (CAT), which students complete at the beginning and end of their undergraduate programs. This paper focuses on the first semester assessment results as they pertain to retention in civil engineering. By requiring faculty to grade the exams, the CAT gives them first-hand knowledge of students’ strengths and weaknesses related to critical thinking, allowing them to make instructional modifications that should ultimately result in improved student learning. While previous studies have used the CAT to determine learning gains in specific science courses, this study seeks to show the correlation between first semester CAT performance and the likelihood that a student is retained in civil engineering. Further, researchers have shown the importance of advanced critical thinking skills in undergraduate education and in the workforce. They have also demonstrated the shortcomings of many programs – including engineering programs – in cultivating those capabilities in undergraduate students. However, studies directly correlating undergraduate engineering student retention and critical thinking assessment performance are not readily available. This study uses first semester CAT scores, along with other parameters that are demonstrated indicators of student retention (e.g. SAT Math scores and grade point averages) to perform various statistical analyses that show the relationship between early CAT performance and retention, and the correlation between CAT scores and the aforementioned parameters. The results may be used to further substantiate the need for increased higher order thinking in engineering curricula, focusing on the need to improve critical thinking capabilities in first year engineering students.