ANALYSIS OF THE CRITICAL THINKING ABILITY OF REGISTERED NURSE STUDENTS AT ENTRY AND NEARING COMPLETION OF A NON-TRADITIONAL BACCALAUREATE IN NURSING PROGRAM.
Contributors: Pepperdine University.
Published: 1994
Number of pages: 247
Subjects: Education, Curriculum and Instruction.; Health Sciences, Nursing.; Education, Tests and Measurements.
Description: Research of the effects of undergraduate nursing curricula and select student characteristics on critical thinking ability is lacking, particularly in "non-traditional" settings. This study explored whether there were differences in the critical thinking ability of registered nurses in a baccalaureate completion program based upon placement in the program. The relationship between critical thinking ability and select demographic variables was also explored.

The population under study consisted of RN students enrolled in the Statewide Nursing Program, a non-traditional BSN completion program. In a non-experimental and descriptive study, using a cross-sectional design, students enrolled in a beginning course and students enrolled in a course taken at the completion of the undergraduate program, completed two existing critical thinking measures, the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal (WGCTA) and Critical Thinking in Nursing (CTN) measure. One hundred and fifty five useable paired instruments were analyzed; 88 students from the beginning course and 67 students in the ending course made up the sample.

Analysis of the data revealed several statistically significant findings at the.05 level of significance. Significant differences in critical thinking ability, as measured by the WGCTA, were noted between beginning and ending students. Significant differences in WGCTA scores based upon age were noted in the beginning student cohort. In addition, entering grade point average significantly affected critical thinking ability on the WGCTA.

No statistically significant findings relative to the research questions were found utilizing the CTN. Further, correlation coefficients between critical thinking scores and interval level data such as age and grade point average revealed weak relationships for both instruments. There was no relationship between WGCTA and CTN scores.

The undergraduate nursing curriculum of the Statewide Nursing Program appears to have a positive effect of RN-BSN students critical thinking ability as measured by the WGCTA. Recommendations for action or further study include strengthening critical thinking as a strand in the undergraduate curriculum, establishing the validity and reliability of the CTN, studying the critical thinking ability of instructors and preceptors utilized in the Program and studying the effect of teaching and learning strategies utilized by instructors on students' critical thinking ability.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 55-06, Section: A, page: 1466.

Thesis (ED.D.)--PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY, 1994.

School code: 6009.