A proposed framework for teaching and evaluating critical thinking in nursing

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of the use of a reflective clinical log to improve students' thinking strategies and metacognition (cognitive awareness). Rather than prepare a written nursing care plan prior to entering the clinical setting, students instead were asked to write in a clinical log at the completion of their clinical day, reflecting upon client problems that they had identified, the data that were used to identify these problems, the nursing interventions that were used, and the results of these interventions. The students reported that they preferred the use of a reflective log over writing nursing care plans and they felt that the logs improved their ability to think about their thinking (i.e. their metacognition). The results of this pilot study indicate that reflection in clinical logs assists students to become more active learners, to manage their own thinking, and to improve their metacognition. Additional research in this area is needed to confirm study findings and to provide further understanding regarding the effectiveness of clinical logs as a teaching strategy to improve students' metacognition.

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 65%

The use of clinical logs to improve nursing students’ metacognition: a pilot study

Fonteyn

Cahill

1998

“…In spite of the many definitions of critical thinking, there is some consensus about it being a purposeful activity involving strategies such as problem‐solving (Bethune & Jackling 1997, Dexter et al . 1997).…”

Section: Defining Critical Thinkingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Valuing both critical and creative thinking in clinical practice: narrowing the research–practice gap?

Seymour

Kinn

Sutherland³

2003

The research-practice gap will reduce only if research becomes part of practitioners' ideology, which includes the art and science of nursing. Critical and creative thinking are prerequisites to narrowing the disjuncture between research and practice, and we suggest that educators and practitioners explore structured ways of meeting together to appraise literature as a possible means of making use of their thinking and knowledge in clinical practice.

“…Therefore in this study, nursing knowledge tests were used as another, more speci®c measure to determine the effects of using videotaped vignettes in improving students' critical thinking ability that allowed the evaluation of critical thinking within a nursing context and by multiple measures (Dexter et al 1997).…”

Section: Effects On Critical Thinking Skillsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of using videotaped vignettes on enhancing students’ critical thinking ability in a baccalaureate nursing programme

Chau

Chang

Lee

et al. 2001