Factors Associated with Critical Thinking Disposition in Postgraduate Medical Students: A Cross-sectional Study

BACKGROUND Critical thinking is a core goal of medical education, underpinning clinical decision-making and scientific innovation. This study evaluates the current status of the disposition toward critical thinking among postgraduate medical students who intend to pursue careers in clinical practice, research, or public health leadership, and identifies factors associated with its variability. METHODS Using convenience and snowball sampling, we conducted a cross-sectional survey using the Short-Form Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory-Chinese Version (SF-CTDI-CV). Participants were medical postgraduate students from 16 universities in China, including Sichuan University, Chongqing Medical University and so on. Univariate analyses and multivariable linear regression with stepwise selection were carried to evaluate associations between SF-CTDI-CV scores and demographics, academic engagement, and training exposures. RESULTS The mean SF-CTDI-CV score was 81.8 (SD = 11.44; possible range: 18-108), indicating a generally positive disposition among the participants. Multiple regression analysis revealed that several factors significantly influence critical thinking disposition, including extracurricular reading time, academic ranking, papers read in depth per week, working hours, pre-enrollment background, participation in innovation and entrepreneurship competitions, attendance at academic conferences, Only-child status and frequency of research presentations (model R 2 = 0.102). Subgroup comparisons indicated that students who are only children, have professional or research experience, and possess a science background tend to achieve higher scores in critical thinking disposition assessments. CONCLUSIONS In this study, the Chinese SF-CTDI-CV was used to measure critical thinking disposition. The mean score of 82 (out of 108) indicates a generally positive disposition toward critical thinking among participants. Extracurricular reading time, academic ranking, and research engagement (including papers read, conference attendance, and research presentations) were independently associated with disposition scores. These findings suggest that educational strategies promoting deep reading, research involvement, and academic discussion may help foster critical thinking disposition in postgraduate medical education.