An Innovative Method of Measuring Students' Critical Thinking Skills in Higher Education

This research addresses the persistent problem of weak measurement methods for critical thinking skillsthat hinder students’ competence development in higher education. The existing instrument, adaptedfrom the FRISCO model, demonstrates several limitations, including low reliability, an overemphasis oncognitive aspects, and the absence of indicators to measure critical thinking disposition. From the user’sperspective, lecturers also perceive the assessment process as subjective because it requires prioragreement on interpretation and judgment criteria. To overcome these issues, this study was designed toidentify the weaknesses of the current instrument and to develop a new approach capable of bothmeasuring and fostering students’ critical thinking skills more comprehensively. The specific objectiveswere: (1) to analyse the weaknesses of existing measurement methods, (2) to enhance the method byintegrating FRISCO theory with the CCTRbL model, (3) to determine the level of content and constructvalidity, and (4) to implement the improved instrument in classroom learning. The research employed amixed qualitative–quantitative design combining Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), instrumentdevelopment, and Collaborative Action Research (CAR). Participants included four lecturers and seventystudents. Validation by psychologists (77), linguists (77.8), and evaluation experts (72) confirmed theinstrument’s feasibility. Field implementation produced an average student critical thinking score of 66.8,categorized as relatively high. The findings indicate that the developed rubric is valid, reliable, andeffective for measuring and enhancing students’ critical thinking, contributing a practical andtheoretically grounded assessment tool for higher education. Received: 09 November 2025 / Accepted: 16 February 2026 / Published: March 2026