title: Accumulation of Content Validation Evidence for the Critical Thinking Self-Assessment Scale.
abstract: Critical thinking skills (CTS) are essential for nurses; assessing students' acquisition of these skills is a mandate of nursing curricula. This study aimed to develop a self-assessment instrument of critical thinking skills (Critical Thinking Self-Assessment Scale [CTSAS]) for students' self-monitoring.
  
  
  
  An initial pool of 196 items across 6 core cognitive skills and 16 subskills were generated using the American Philosophical Association definition of CTS. Experts' content review of the items and their ratings provided evidence of content relevance using the item-level content validity index (I-CVI) and Aiken's content validity coefficient (VIk).
  
  
  
  115 items were retained (range of I-CVI values = .70 to .94 and range of VIk values = .69-.95; significant at p< .05).
  
  
  
  The CTSAS is the first CTS instrument designed specifically for self-assessment purposes.
authors.forename: Girija Gopinathan
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Nair
authors.forename: Laurie-Ann M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Hellsten
authors.forename: Lynnette Leeseberg
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Stamler
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D016730:Program Development; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000592:standards*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012647:Self-Assessment; D013338:Students, Nursing / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards; D013850:Thinking