Influence of internship, service learning and student mobility programmes on the development of critical thinking disposition in higher education

A willingness to explore new ideas and to maintain reflective skepticism is necessary to exercise critical citizenship. Importantly, the disposition to think critically is a dynamic (rather than static) characteristic of a person that can be developed through different educational experiences. The aim of this study was to examine the influence of three applied learning experiences – namely, internships, service learning and participation in international mobility programmes – on higher education students' disposition toward critical thinking. Participants were 147 Spanish undergraduates aged between 17 and 24 years (M = 18.36, SD = 1.16; 69.39% women). They were enrolled in degree programmes in the fields of social and legal sciences (81.6% of students) and engineering and architecture (18.4%). Critical thinking disposition was assessed at two time points: at the beginning of their undergraduate studies and at the end of year 2, by which time some students had participated in applied learning experiences. No changes were found in the disposition toward critical thinking of students who did not participate in experiences of this kind. However, students who had engaged in service learning projects showed gains in their critical thinking disposition. Contrary to expectations, no significant improvement in critical thinking disposition was observed among students who carried out internships or participated in mobility programmes. These findings emphasize the importance of promoting service learning experiences in higher education so as to promote and develop students' disposition toward critical thinking.