CRITICAL THINKING: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF BACCALAUREATE AND ASSOCIATE DEGREE NURSING STUDENTS.
Contributors: Peabody College For Teachers Of Vanderbilt University.
Published: 1988
Number of pages: 97
Subjects: Education, Educational Psychology.; Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: The American Nurses' Association (ANA) and the National League for Nursing (NLN, 1982) maintain that baccalaureate education provides opportunities that increase skill in critical thinking; however, according to Ellis and Hartley (1984), this statement lacks sufficient research. The purpose of this comparative study was to determine if differences exist in the critical thinking ability of baccalaureate and associate degree nursing students. Participants in this study were graduating baccalaureate and associate degree nursing students from private and public institutions within three New England states. The sample consisted of 161 students; 74 represented baccalaureate education and 87 associate degree education. The Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal (CTA) Form A was used to measure the critical thinking of both groups.

In order to determine the homogeneity of the groups prior to their nursing education the variables of age and ability/achievement (as measured by SAT scores and high school class rank) were examined. Further, a literature review indicated that these variables may also have an influence on critical thinking; therefore, the age of the participants, and their ability/achievement were also identified as covariates.

A t-test suggested that significant differences exist in the age and ability/achievement of the groups prior to entering nursing school. Analysis of variance revealed that the baccalaureate students scored significantly higher in critical thinking than the associate degree students. A Pearson product-moment correlation indicated that there was no significant relationship between the age of the participants and their critical thinking score. Finally, a multiple regression analysis indicated that SAT scores and educational level had the most effect on the criterion measure, critical thinking.

Recommendations for further research include studies to determine if these differences in critical thinking are reflected in the clinical performance of baccalaureate and associate degree students.

References. National League for Nursing. (1982). Report of the National League for Nursing task force on competencies of graduates of nursing programs (Publication No. 14, 1905). New York: NLN. Ellis, J., & Hartley, C. (1984). Nursing in today's world. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 49-08, Section: A, page: 2157.

Thesis (ED.D.)--PEABODY COLLEGE FOR TEACHERS OF VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY, 1988.

School code: 0074.