Institutional Context and the Development of Critical Thinking: A Research Note

This study sought to determine if the average level of student critical thinking at a college (i.e., the institutional context) influenced individual students' critical thinking skills. Analyses were based on data from 23 highly diverse two- and four-year institutions participating in the National Study of Student Learning with controls for 15 potentially confounding influences. The findings were modestly positive for students completing their first year but insignificant by the end of the third year.