Empirical Analysis of the Relationship Between Theatre Education and Critical Thinking Skills in Nigerian Undergraduates

Theatre education is claimed to develop critical thinking skills through reflective practice, perspective-taking, and creative problem-solving, yet empirical evidence for this relationship in Nigerian higher education contexts remains limited. This study empirically examined the relationship between theatre education engagement and critical thinking skill development among undergraduate students at four Nigerian universities: University of Ibadan (SW), University of Nigeria Nsukka (SE), Ahmadu Bello University (NW), and the University of Benin (SS). A cross-sectional comparative design was employed. Critical thinking was assessed using the adapted Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal administered to 400 students (200 final-year theatre arts majors and 200 matched non-arts majors). Regression analysis controlled for secondary education background, gender, and reading frequency. Theatre arts students scored significantly higher on the Watson-Glaser overall score than non-arts students (p < 0.001). The inference and evaluation subscales showed the largest differences. Engagement in devised theatre projects within curricula was the strongest intra-theatre predictor of critical thinking scores. Zone-level differences were modest and non-significant after controlling for individual variables. The study fills an empirical gap in African higher education arts research and recommends theatre education advocates use these findings for arts budget advocacy, that universities mandate reflective practice in theatre curricula, and that comparative longitudinal studies track critical thinking development over the full undergraduate theatre degree. Keywords: theatre education, critical thinking, undergraduate students, Nigerian universities, empirical analysis