PERTANIKA JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES

This study examined the critical thinking skills of first year students at a public university in Oman to determine whether these skills were adequately developed at the school level. An adapted version of the Cornell Class-Reasoning Test Form X was administered to 60 students who had just graduated high school and entered the university. Descriptive analysis of test results revealed that participants had failed to master four of the five principles assessed by the test's item groups, while receiving scores that suggested neither mastery nor failure to master the remaining principle. The overall average correct percentage for the sample of 45.8% was comparable to results from grade 4 students in the United States offered by the test creators. Independent samples t-tests indicated statistically significant differences on overall test scores based on gender and level of study in the English foundation program, although no differences based on age were found. The paper concludes by arguing that critical thinking needs to be better integrated into the curriculum in Oman's education system in order to adequately prepare learners for the demands of university study and the workforce.