ESTABLISHING A CORRELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LEARNING STYLES AND CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS IN BACCALAUREATE NURSING STUDENTS.
Contributors: Columbia University. Teachers College.
Published: 1994
Number of pages: 163
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.; Psychology, Developmental.; Education, Higher.
Description: The purpose of this stratified longitudinal study was to explore the effects of a four year baccalaureate program on the critical thinking skills of nursing students in the freshman, sophomore, junior and senior years of the program. The study also aimed at establishing the learning styles of this same group, correlating the learning styles with the critical thinking skills.

Previous studies by Kemp, 1985; Berger, 1984; Frederickson, 1979; and Notarianni, 1991 have investigated the changes in critical thinking skills of baccalaureate nursing students at different levels of the curriculum, but none of these studies has sought to determine the relationship between critical thinking skills and learning styles. Watson and Glaser's (1980) definition of critical thinking forms the basis of this study's theoretical framework. Kolb Learning Style Inventory (1985) guided the collection of data related to learning styles and the Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal test was used to collect data related to critical thinking.

A total of 112 nursing students (42 freshmen, 34 sophomore, 17 juniors and 19 seniors) from a NLN accredited baccalaureate school of nursing completed the Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal Part A and Part B. All participants completed the Kolb Learning Style Inventory at the beginning of the semester.

On the pre test WGCTA, sophomore students scored highest and junior students lowest. On the post test WGCTA, freshmen showed the highest increase in scores while the sophomores mean score plummeted significantly. Junior scores remained stable throughout while senior scores showed a significant increase from pre to post test. On the Kolb Learning Style Inventory, learning preferences were identified among the four groups as follows: Assimilators 52%, Convergers 23%, Divergers 22%, and Accommodators 15%.

This study suggests that there are indeed changes occurring in the critical thinking skills of nursing students as they progress through the curriculum, however, not in the predicted manner. There was no significant correlation found between critical thinking skills and learning styles.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 55-09, Section: B, page: 3820.

Thesis (ED.D.)--COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY TEACHERS COLLEGE, 1994.

School code: 0055.