Measurement of General Critical Thinking in Undergraduate Nursing Students: Experimental Study

Abstract

Objective: to compare the levels of general critical thinking and the skills or cognitive attributes involved, individually measured during the training of undergraduate nursing students, through a teaching intervention using Concept Maps. Method: an experimental, randomized, double-blind study with before and after design, conducted with 77 undergraduate nursing students. The research subjects were randomized to the control (38) and experiment (39) groups and both participated in a course on Advanced Life Support in Cardiology for a period of five weeks, when the intervention was the construction of four concept maps. Data collection took place through a sociodemographic questionnaire and the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) before and after the course and after in order to measure critical thinking. Results: sociodemographic data confirmed that the groups had similar characteristics. After the intervention using the concept maps, the mean pre-and post-test general critical thinking averages were classified as moderate and showed no statistically significant difference. The t-test for paired samples showed a significantly increased Evaluation skill score (p-value of 0.022) in the posttest for the experiment group. Conclusion: the use of the teaching strategy with construction of the concept maps performed well in the promotion of General Critical Thinking and its abilities. Teaching strategies based on constructivist theories should be encouraged as they play a significant role in improving student learning and critical thinking.

Formação do enfermeiro na perspectiva do cuidado integral e trabalho em equipe

“…Diante das demandas do mundo do trabalho a assistência do enfermeiro precisa estar respaldada em ciência e ter como foco o cuidado integral e efetivo nos diferentes níveis de atenção à saúde e para alcançar essa efetividade precisam ter conhecimento dos processos individuais e coletivos, associados ao desempenho eficaz da equipe interprofissional (Carvalho et al, 2020).…”

A model to facilitate critical thinking of radiography students

“…Internationally across health care, several studies report on the need to produce graduates with the ability to think critically 1,2 . Radiographers are required to actively use critical thinking skills to make sound clinical judgements, and the radiography curriculum falls short if it is not designed in such a way to instil these skills in the undergraduate years 2 .…”

“…Internationally across health care, several studies report on the need to produce graduates with the ability to think critically. 1 , 2 Radiographers are required to actively use critical thinking skills to make sound clinical judgements, and the radiography curriculum falls short if it is not designed in such a way to instil these skills in the undergraduate years. 2 However, literature relating to critical thinking skills within radiography has indicated diagnostic radiography students' ability to think critically is below the desired level.…”

Clinical supervision strategies, learning, and critical thinking of nursing students

“…Thinking critically is not innate, so it requires effort and integration of contexts and teaching and learning proposals that favor its evolution ( 20 ) . For the development of CT skills, it is important to ensure learning environments that enable the active involvement of students ( 21 ) , since active learning methodologies can stimulate the development of higher order cognitive processes ( 12 , 15 , 22 - 23 ) . Active learning methodologies are considered the key to success that guarantees students the ability to analyze evidence and proposals, make fair judgments, propose solutions ( 22 , 24 - 25 ) , evaluate their decisions and, if necessary, go back to the start and reconstruct the whole process ( 26 ) .…”

“…Currently, there are several studies that address CT issues ( 1 - 6 , 8 , 19 , 32 ) in a general manner and others more directed to nursing ( 18 , 21 - 22 , 26 ) ; however, there are still no studies relating supervision strategies to the development of CT in nursing students. Based on the premise that CT is a fundamental aspect during the critical teaching of these students, the adoption of constructivist teaching strategies that allow them to improve CT learning should be encouraged.…”