Research topic: The Impact of Critical Thinking Skills on Academic Performance: A Case Study of Students at HUFLIT University.
1. The Well-Written Survey Question
Question:...
Research topic: The Impact of Critical Thinking Skills on Academic Performance: A Case Study of Students at HUFLIT University.
1. The Well-Written Survey Question
Question: "When analyzing a text for my major subjects at HUFLIT, I identify the underlying assumptions made by the author."
Options:
(1) Never
(2) Rarely
(3) Sometimes
(4) Often
(5) Always
Why it’s good:
Specific: It focuses on one specific critical thinking skill (identifying assumptions) rather than "critical thinking" in general.
Unbiased: It doesn't tell the student how they should feel; it simply asks for their frequency of behavior.
Single-Focus: It avoids being "double-barreled" (it only asks about one action).
2. The Poorly Constructed Survey Question
Question: "Don't you agree that critical thinking is a difficult process and that using it has helped you get a higher GPA than students who just memorize books?"
Options:
Yes / No
Why it’s bad:
Leading/Biased: Starting with "Don't you agree..." pressures the student to say "Yes." It assumes critical thinking is difficult and that it definitely helps their GPA.
Double-Barreled: It asks two things at once: 1) Is it difficult? and 2) Did it help your GPA? A student might think it's easy but helpful, or difficult but unhelpful, and they wouldn't know how to answer.
Loaded Language: Using the phrase "students who just memorize books" is judgmental and creates a "good student vs. bad student" binary that can skew results.