NURSING FACULTY PERCEPTIONS OF CRITICAL THINKING.
Contributors: Loyola University of Chicago.
Published: 1992
Number of pages: 226
Subjects: Education, Educational Psychology.; Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: The purpose of this study was to explore the status of critical thinking in technical, baccalaureate, and higher degree programs in nursing from the perspective of nursing faculty members. Specifically, this study sought to determine how faculty define critical thinking, the extent to which faculty emphasize the development of critical thinking, and the teaching strategies used in an attempt to foster this ability in nursing students. This study also sought to determine the influence of highest faculty degree obtained and level of student taught on perceptions of critical thinking. A framework derived from a review of the literature guided the development of this study.

An investigator-developed questionnaire, Critical Thinking Inventory, was mailed to 1000 randomly-selected master's and doctorally prepared nursing faculty members of Sigma Theta Tau International. Completed instruments were returned by 633 subjects.

Results of this descriptive study suggest that critical thinking is viewed as a multi-dimensional construct. Principal components analysis with Varimax rotation revealed that critical thinking is described as (1) exploration, (2) resolution, (3) reasoning, (4) understanding, and (5) knowledge, while critical thinkers are characterized by (1) perseverance and open-mindedness, (2) intellectual curiosity, (3) analytical orientation, and (4) informed skepticism. Measures of central tendency and dispersion revealed that faculty tend to emphasize the development of critical thinking ability. Pearson correlation revealed that faculty tend to use most those teaching strategies perceived as having value for the promotion of critical thinking ability. Principal components analysis with Varimax rotation revealed that five categories of teaching/learning strategies are viewed as having value for promoting critical thinking ability: (1) simulation activities, (2) critique, (3) interactive activities, (4) objective question activities, and (5) writing and lecture. Analysis of variance and discriminant analysis revealed minimal differences in perceptions of critical thinking based on faculty educational preparation and level of student taught.

Findings of this study have implications for nursing faculty as they seek to promote critical thinking ability in their students. Further study of the construct, critical thinking, is warranted in order to determine how best it is enhanced and how it influences and is influenced by other behaviors.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 53-05, Section: A, page: 1458.

Thesis (PH.D.)--LOYOLA UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO, 1992.

School code: 0112.