Critical thinking is necessary for academic success in higher education. Hence, universities seek various ways to integrate it in the programs to enhance the productivity of their graduates. This study presents the development of a predictive model for critical thinking ability using a combination of background, demographic, and psycho-educational variables. Data were collected from 9809 students entering Sultan Qaboos University between 2010 and 2013. The instruments included the Demographic Questionnaire, the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire, the College Readiness Survey Questionnaire, and the California Critical Thinking Skills Test. Results of the stepwise multiple linear regression analysis revealed that the final full model included gender, type of general diploma education, type of general diploma math subject, number of general diploma science subjects taken, overall general diploma GPA, general diploma math subject score, general diploma English language subject score, college readiness, self-efficacy for learning and performance, peer learning, rehearsal, and metacognitive self-regulation as collectively statistically significant predictors of the critical thinking ability. These variables collectively accounted for 8.7% of the variance in the critical thinking ability. A number of recommendations for teaching and researching critical thinking skill attainment evolve from this model.

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Globally, teachers need to expand their knowledge of other peoples and cultures. As a case in point, Oman is challenged by a problem of separation between national and expatriate populations. Expatriate students attend either international or expatriate community schools, whereas Omani children can only attend government schools or Arabic/English private schools. The teacher education program at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) in Oman was able to implement a service learning project that helped students cross cultural boundaries while improving their own English language skills. Using a mixed-method approach in data analysis, this study discusses the experiences of thirty EFL student teachers involved in the experiment. Expatriate teachers and principals had expressed a need for their students to learn more about Omani culture. In response, student teachers prepared 45 cultural kits that included written reports, presentations and artefacts, which they presented to classes. Not only did expatriate teachers and K-12 students learn about Omani culture, but more importantly, student teachers developed new cultural awareness about the expatriate populations with whom they seldom have an opportunity to interact or exchange ideas and cultural values. The ‘ELT [English Language Training] Multicultural Awareness Transaction Model’ has application potential not only in teacher education, but also in EFL or ESL classes where cultural exchange is important.

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