Nurse Educators' Critical Thinking

Nurse Educators' Critical Thinking
Author: Christy L. Raymond-Seniuk
Publisher:
Total Pages: 236
Release: 2014
Genre: Critical thinking
ISBN:

Critical thinking is an important indicator of student learning and is an essential outcome of baccalaureate nursing education. The role of nurse educators in the development of students' critical thinking has been overlooked despite the importance of their actions to facilitate critical thinking in nursing education. How nurse educators reveal their critical thinking in practice is also unknown. The purpose of this study was to explore nurse educators' critical thinking in clinical practice. I utilized a mixed methods triangulated design with a grounded theory approach for the qualitative phase of the research. I employed three data collection approaches including critical thinking self-assessment tools (CCTST-California Critical Thinking Skills Test and CCTDI-California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory), participant observation, and interviews. As part of my exploration, I completed an integrative review of nursing research examining nurse educators' critical thinking. The integrative review I completed highlighted issues such as the continued lack of a consensus definition of critical thinking and the limited presence of conceptual models to guide the use of critical thinking in nursing education. As well, the integrative review illuminated the emergence of some beginning patterns in the measurement of nurse educators' critical thinking. The findings from my mixed methods study found that nurse educator participants had moderately strong critical thinking skills along with a positive inclination to think critically, as measured by the CCTST and CCTDI. These results are similar to other findings evident from the limited studies completed to date. My study captured one interpretation of how nurse educators revealed their critical thinking in clinical practice. Based on my interpretation, I created a conceptual model depicting how nurse educators' show their critical thinking in the clinical setting. The important categories of this model include: a) fostering the student-educator relationship; b) role modeling critical thinking; c) mobilizing and operationalizing resources; as well as d) balancing factors that impact nurse educators' critical thinking. My study's findings inform what is known about nurse educators' critical thinking and how it can be revealed in nurse educators' teaching practice. Given my findings, I offer recommendations for future nursing education practice and research.

A Comparison of Learning Styles, Critical Thinking Skills, and GPAs in Basic and Accelerated Option Baccalaureate Nursing Students

A Comparison of Learning Styles, Critical Thinking Skills, and GPAs in Basic and Accelerated Option Baccalaureate Nursing Students
Author: Annette Benson
Publisher:
Total Pages: 248
Release: 2006
Genre: Critical thinking
ISBN:

The purpose of this study was to determine differences in learning styles and critical thinking abilities from basic and accelerated option baccalaureate nursing programs, using the California Critical Thinking Skills Teat and the California Critical Thinking Dispositions Inventory. Pre- and post-program critical thinking abilities and dispositions of basic and accelerated option nursing students were compared.