MEASUREMENT OF CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS IN A SELECTED BACCALAUREATE NURSING PROGRAM.
Contributors: University of Pennsylvania.
Published: 1989
Number of pages: 328
Subjects: Education, General.; Health Sciences, Nursing.; Education, Higher.
Description: The purpose of this study was to measure critical thinking abilities among nursing students in a baccalaureate degree program during the nursing and liberal arts sequences, and to determine if there is a relationship between critical thinking and academic achievement in the nursing major. In a single institution quantitative and qualitative approaches were utilized. The quantitative realm included a nonexperimental ex post facto correlation study; structured informal interviews were conducted as part of the qualitative approach.

Based on test scores obtained from the four levels of baccalaureate nursing students (n = 49), the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal was utilized as a research tool to test the proficiency of critical thinking.

Quantitative data were analyzed using the Analysis of Variance to test the significance of differences between mean scores, and the Pearson Product-Moment Correlation to measure the relationship between variables.

The analysis of variance revealed that was a significant difference in critical thinking skills among baccalaureate nursing students at different levels of enrollment in their educational program. A significant difference was noted in the subtest scores of inference, deduction, and evaluation of arguments among the four levels of students; however, the subtest scores of recognition of assumptions and interpretation revealed no significant differences. The correlation procedure revealed that there was a significant relationship between critical thinking and academic achievement. It was noted that overall, as achievement increased, test scores obtained on the Critical Thinking Appraisal also increased.

Analysis of the qualitative data obtained from interviews revealed a variety of operational definitions of critical thinking. Similarities occurred between the levels of students in the areas of assessment, analysis, deduction, problem-solving, evaluation and the formulation of nursing care plans. The freshmen, prenursing students spoke of discovering and thinking, application and analysis; the sophomore, junior and senior students discussed critical thinking in terms of nursing terminology which includes many aspects of the problem-solving approach, specifically the "nursing process.".

The findings underlie the importance of critical thinking in professional nursing and the professional standards that uphold its practice setting. The evidence also documents a growing concern for quality in higher education.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 50-09, Section: A, page: 2709.

Thesis (PH.D.)--UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, 1989.

School code: 0175.