DO CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS AMONG SECONDARY STUDENTS VARY ACROSS THREE EXTERNAL EXAMINATION BOARDS? AN EX POST FACTO STUDY

Abstract

The study focuses on identifying the difference in critical thinking skills of secondary school students across three distinct examination boards e.g.  AKU-EB, CIE, and BISE using an ex post facto research design. 30 students from each board were participants in the study and data was collected by using a researcher-developed questionnaire on critical thinking skills. The data were analyzed                by using SPSS 23. The average scores (means) were compared of all three groups by using the one-way ANOVA technique. Notably, the mean critical thinking skill score for BISE students is 2.53, whereas values for AKU-EB and CIE students are 3.45 and 3.46, respectively. Significant discrepancies among boards suggest a notable disparity in the students’ critical thinking skills. The eta-squared effect size is 0.61, which indicates a moderate influence of examination boards on critical thinking abilities. These findings potentially support the development of a standardized curriculum that fosters critical thinking skills and prompts curriculum designers, examination boards, and legislators to rethink their approaches to enhancing critical thinking skills among secondary school students.