DEVELOPMENT OF AN INSTRUMENT TO ASSESS CRITICAL THINKING CONSTRUCTS IN NUTRITION AUDIOVISUAL MATERIALS

An instrument was constructed to evaluate critical thinking components in nutrition education audiovisual materials. A conceptual framework that synthesized critical thinking constructs and nutrition education principles was developed as a foundation for the instrument. Scores from the Critical Thinking and Nutrition instrument indicate the relative strength of an audiovisual in four critical thinking categories: metacognition, performance, knowledge-acquisition, and dispositions. The instrument is an evaluation tool for educators who wish to incorporate critical thinking into their nutrition instruction, and it may also serve as a guide for developers of nutrition audiovisuals. Validity of the instrument was established based on the ratings of an expert panel. Satisfactory reliability measures were obtained in three pilot evaluations of videocassettes. When a sample of 13 videocassettes on nutrition and osteoporosis was evaluated using the instrument, a fairly wide range of scores was attained, indicating that critical thinking constructs were being addressed to varying degrees. Further study is needed to determine if the instrument could be adapted for the evaluation of other types of curriculum materials and/or subjects other than nutrition education.