Does critical thinking pass the test? The influence of critical thinking lessons on achievement in middle school social studies

For over a decade, seeking higher test scores has pushed critical thinking in social studies to the background. This quasi-experimental quantitative study demonstrates that critical thinking lessons do not negatively impact test scores for eighth grade social studies students. For ten weeks, 116 students in a multiethnic, suburban school were divided into two groups – one taught using mainly critical thinking lessons. Using t-tests to determine the groups and to evaluate the data, the results showed insignificant differences in scores between groups who received content mostly through critical thinking lessons as compared to those who did not, suggesting that teachers do have time to teach critical thinking without sacrificing test scores. Furthermore, the students who received more critical thinking instruction displayed greater facility in using higher order thinking skills after three months than other students.