The Relationships between Socioeconomic Factors and Reflective Thinking of College Students in Leadership Training Using Critical Thinking Development Perspectives

Abstract

The study assessed the relationships between socioeconomic factors and reflective thinking of college students. The data were collected from a purposive sample of college students in a leadership training program and analyzed using descriptive statistics and correlation analysis. The results show that the proportions of strongly disagreed or disagreed responses were generally higher than the proportions of the strongly agreed or agreed responses at the low level of the Critical Thinking Development Model (CTDM). However, the proportions of strongly agreed or agreed responses were generally higher than the proportions of the strongly disagreed or disagreed responses at the middle and high levels of the CTDM. The correlations reveal that, overall, there were more positive than negative relationships between the selected socioeconomic factors and reflective thinking. The results further revealed that there were two positive and significant relationships (coefficients); specifically, the ones between “sometimes try to recognize the need to practice reflecting on issues” and the intent to hold a college leadership position, and “sometimes have good habits reflecting on issues” and gender. It may be that the intent to hold a college leadership position and gender matter in reflective thinking.

Keywords: College Students, Critical Thinking Development, Leadership, Reflective Thinking, Socioeconomic Factors

DOI: 10.7176/JESD/15-5-03

Publication date: April 30^th 2024