Assessing critical thinking in young children: Development and validation of the Critical Thinking Assessment for Children [Author Accepted Manuscript]

In today’s media-saturated environment, young children are increasingly exposed to diverse and sometimes conflicting information. Developing critical thinking skills early is essential for evaluating, interpreting, and making informed judgments. To address this need, we developed and validated the Critical Thinking Assessment for Children (CTAC), an instrument designed to systematically measure critical thinking abilities in primary school learners. Given the multidimensional nature of critical thinking, item generation followed a rigorous process involving expert evaluation and pilot testing. An initial pilot study with 72 Italian children aged 6 to 8 years led to a refined 22-item version, selected based on item discrimination indices. Study 1 examined the psychometric properties of the CTAC in a sample of 112 children (M = 7.43, SD = 1.12) across different grades. Results from an exploratory factor analysis identified a three-factor structure: Open-Minded Inquiry, Media Literacy and Critical Analysis, and Contradiction Recognition and Critical Awareness. Study 2 validated this structure in a larger sample of 356 children (M = 8.45, SD = 1.20), incorporating concurrent validity measures, including Raven’s Coloured Progressive Matrices and teacher-reported academic performance. Results from a confirmatory factor analysis supported the robustness of a second-order three-factor model. The findings indicate that the CTAC is a reliable and valid tool for assessing critical thinking within the Italian primary school context. Its application can provide educators and researchers with insights into early cognitive development and serve as a foundation for designing targeted educational interventions. Future studies should examine its longitudinal sensitivity and evaluate its adaptability across different cultural and linguistic contexts.