Zainal Arifin, Sukarmin, Sulistyo Saputro
Background and Purpose: The development of critical thinking skills (CTS) is a key objective in science education, particularly in addressing complex and uncertain issues such as climate change. Despite this, there remains a lack of validated assessment tools that measure CTS specifically in the context of climate change. This study aims to develop and validate the Critical Thinking on Climate Change (CTCC) test, focusing on both conceptual understanding and evidence-based reasoning within socioscientific issues (SSI). Methods: The CTCC test was constructed using a testlet format, informed by established critical thinking theories and contextualized for climate change content. Initial items were validated through expert Focus Group Discussions (N = 9) and Think-Aloud Protocols (TAP) with students (N = 5). After revisions, the test was administered to 212 students with prior climate change learning experience. Psychometric properties were examined using the Rasch model analysis to evaluate item fit, person reliability, and the validity of the test structure. Results: Rasch analysis indicated that the items fit the model well (mean-square outfit and infit values within an acceptable range), with a person reliability of 0.81 and an item reliability of 0.94. Content validity was confirmed through expert judgment (Aiken’s V > 0.75), and construct validity was supported by adequate item separation indices and logical item difficulty ordering. These findings affirm the robustness of the CTCC test in capturing a continuum of CTS among learners. Conclusion: The CTCC test is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing critical thinking in the context of climate change. Through the application of Rasch model analysis, the instrument demonstrates strong psychometric properties and can effectively differentiate levels of students’ CTS. This research also contributes to a novel framework for assessing higher-order thinking in socioscientific contexts, supporting the advancement of evidence-based climate education. © 2026 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
Doctoral Program of Science Education, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Surakarta, Indonesia; Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Negeri Malang, Malang, Indonesia; Department of Physics Education, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Surakarta, Indonesia; Department of Chemistry Education, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Surakarta, Indonesia
