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Assessing critical thinking in baccalaureate nursing students: a longitudinal study.
T M Beckie1, L W Lowry, S Barnett
1University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA.
Holistic Nursing Practice
|July 18, 2002
Summary
The revised nursing curriculum improved critical thinking skills in one student cohort, but not another, indicating curriculum effectiveness may vary. Further research is needed to understand these critical thinking skill attainment differences.
Area of Science:
- Nursing Education
- Educational Psychology
Background:
- Baccalaureate nursing programs require strong critical thinking skills.
- Curriculum revisions aim to enhance student competencies.
- Assessing the impact of curriculum changes on critical thinking is essential.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate critical thinking skill attainment in nursing students before and after a curriculum revision.
- To compare the effectiveness of a revised baccalaureate nursing curriculum on critical thinking development.
Main Methods:
- The California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) was administered to three student cohorts.
- Cohort 1 (n=55) served as the baseline before curriculum revision.
- Cohorts 2 (n=55) and 3 (n=73) experienced the revised curriculum.
Main Results:
- Cohort 2 demonstrated significantly higher critical thinking scores compared to the baseline cohort.
- Cohort 2 showed marked improvement across all CCTST subscales.
- Cohort 3 did not exhibit significant improvements in critical thinking skills over time.
Conclusions:
- The revised curriculum positively impacted critical thinking in one cohort, suggesting potential effectiveness.
- Variability in critical thinking attainment among cohorts highlights the need for further investigation into curriculum implementation.
- Findings underscore the importance of robust assessment methods for critical thinking in nursing education.