CONGRUENCE BETWEEN NURSE EDUCATORS AND CRITICAL THINKING EXPERTS ON THE CONCEPTUALIZATION OF CRITICAL THINKING.
Contributors: University of Missouri--Columbia.
Published: 1995
Number of pages: 221
Subjects: Education, Higher.; Health Sciences, Nursing.; Health Sciences, Education.
Description: This study was designed to explore the conceptualization of critical thinking by nurse educators, including how critical thinking is defined by nurse educators, whether there is agreement in the perception of critical thinking among nurse educators, how nurse educators' perception of critical thinking compares with that of experts in critical thinking in other disciplines, and whether nurse educators' perception of critical thinking is congruent with the nursing literature.

A cluster sampling technique was used in this descriptive study. An investigator-developed Critical Thinking Survey was randomly distributed to 415 faculty in 83 baccalaureate nursing programs in the Midwest. Fifty percent of the questionnaires were returned. This study found that nurse educators perceived critical thinking as a rational, linear process congruent with the nursing process, decision making, diagnostic reasoning, and the research process. The faculty agreed that dispositions of critical thinkers included those characteristics described by non-nurse experts, but also included characteristics of individuals using the nursing process, exercising clinical judgment, displaying professionalism, and employing decision making. Using ANOVA and t-test analyses, statistically significant differences (p $<$ 0.05) were found for some items based on faculty rank, type of courses taught, years of teaching experience, and educational background. Nurse educators participating in this study held views similar to those described in the nursing literature where critical thinking is perceived as a broad concept encompassing a variety of thinking skills.

Chi-square Goodness of Fit analyses found statistically significant differences (p $<$ 0.01) between critical thinking experts' and nurse educators' perception of critical thinking concepts. Nurse educators were more likely to perceive decision making, researching in a discipline, planning, and problem solving as critical thinking activities than were non-nurse experts. Despite their assertion that nurse educators do not perceive critical thinking differently than experts in other disciplines, it is evident that nurse educators' view of critical thinking is not congruent with that of critical thinking experts. This study suggests that practice disciplines such as nursing may perceive critical thinking differently than educators in non-practice disciplines. Further research is needed to validate this finding.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 57-09, Section: A, page: 3842.

Thesis (PH.D.)--UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI - COLUMBIA, 1995.

School code: 0133.