Predictive validity of critical thinking skills and disposition for the national board dental hygiene examination: a preliminary investigation.

The objective of this study was to determine if preexisting critical thinking skills and critical thinking disposition predict student performance on the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination (NBDHE). The predictive value of critical thinking skills scores and disposition (habits of mind, attitudes, and character attributes) scores were examined above that provided by traditional predictors: entering grade point average, age, and total number of college hours at entry into the dental hygiene program. Seventy-six first-year dental hygiene students from three baccalaureate dental hygiene programs participated in this study. Participants' preexisting general critical thinking skills and disposition were assessed during the first week of classes in their respective baccalaureate level programs using the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) and California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTDI). At the completion of their two-year educational program, the CCTST and CCTDI were administered a final time, and students' scores on the multiple-choice and case-based NBDHE were obtained. A series of hierarchical multiple regression analyses demonstrated that CCTST scores explained a statistically significant (p<.05) proportion of variance in students' multiple-choice and case-based NBDHE scores, above and beyond that explained by other predictor variables. Although CCTDI scores were not a significant predictor of either outcome measure, CCTST is a good predictor of student performance on high-stakes qualifying examinations and may have utility for student selection and retention.