Effects of critical thinking instruction on Chinese college students with varying baseline critical thinking abilities: A quasi‐experimental study

Abstract This study aimed to contribute to the substantial body of research on critical thinking (CT) interventions by determining whether the effectiveness of two CT interventions (generic and infusion) varied according to students' baseline CT levels. Using a quasi‐experimental design, we collected data from two universities, with 167 participants from University A and 76 from University B. Students' CT skills were measured before and after the interventions using the National Assessment of Collegiate Capacity (NACC) CT assessment. The analysis employed paired t ‐tests to evaluate within‐group changes and independent t ‐tests with moderation analysis to compare CT gains between experimental and control groups across different baseline CT performance levels. Results showed that infusion CT interventions, rather than generic CT interventions, had a beneficial effect on these students' CT. Notably, the effectiveness of these interventions depended on students' baseline level of CT skills, suggesting that, while CT interventions may not result in substantial improvements for students with high and low baseline levels of CT skills, those with moderate levels can benefit significantly from these interventions. This study contributes to research on the effectiveness of embedding CT within course contents and differentiation based on baseline skills in maximising the impact of CT interventions within an educational context.