a comparative study of critical thinking implementation in face-to-face and online classrooms: medical students’ critical thinking and reading comprehension

Background: the enhancement of critical thinking (ct) is an essential goal in the educational strategic framework of medical universities across the globe. therefore, it is of utmost importance to evaluate the competence in ct abilities as well as the inclination of medical students to actively participate in ct practices. moreover, educational decision-makers believe that granting medical students the opportunity to utilize technology can enhance their academic performance and stimulate their ct ability level. hence, this research aimed to compare the influence of implementing a ct framework in traditional classroom settings and online platforms on the ct and reading comprehension of medical students. methods: over four months, two groups of 60 medical students (30 students in each group) were exposed to two environments of face-to-face and online english language instruction. the current quasi-experimental study was conducted at a general english language classroom, situated in islamic azad university, kerman branch. pre-tests and post-tests of ct and reading comprehension were used to measure learners’ improvements in ct and reading comprehension levels before and after the project. results: the results of this study showed some improvements in the ct and reading comprehension abilities of both face-to-face and online groups (p<0.01). however, the improvements were particularly noticeable in the online group regarding the reading comprehension (m=17.98) and ct (m=107.462) variables compared to the face-to-face group (m=11.39) and (m=51.438). conclusion: medical education experts strongly believe that developing and nurturing ct skills among medical students is crucial for improving the overall quality of medical education. in today’s globalized era, the importance of ct cannot be overstated, as it equips students with essential skills needed to navigate complex challenges. integrating ct into online learning environments is a testament to the progressive nature of medical education in the modern world.