ACTIVE LEARNING AND ASSESSMENT TECHNIQUES TO DEVELOP CRITICAL THINKING IN CRIMINALISTICS STUDENTS

Abstract

The development of critical thinking allows future professionals to reflect on facts, analyze evidence, and make responsible judgments. The research was conducted in response to the need to strengthen the skills of Criminalistics students at the Higher Police Institute (ISUPOL) in Ecuador. The objective was to analyze the influence of active techniques and assessment on the development of critical thinking in Criminalistics students. The study adopted a mixed approach with a quasi-experimental design. Two groups participated: experimental (n = 15) and control (n = 16). The intervention included three sessions based on cooperative research, structured debate, and co-evaluation using rubrics. The results showed a significant improvement in critical thinking in the experimental group (t = 2.75; p = 0.016; d = 0.83) after the application of active techniques and assessment, demonstrating a positive influence on the processes evaluated through the Watson-Glaser model, mainly the analysis, inference, and evaluation of arguments.