An integrative educational framework to enhance logical reasoning and cognitive skills in undergraduate nursing...

The study aimed to explore an educational and learning approach that integrates bioscience concepts, utilizing concept maps and situated cases, to systematically enhance the progression from lower- to higher-order cognitive and logical reasoning skills, thereby strengthening clinical decision-making among undergraduate nursing students.

Students' cognitive development from their previous learning experiences is often limited, resulting in difficulty retaining knowledge related to biosciences and care. These limited opportunities to develop logical reasoning and cognitive skills during prior learning can hinder students' clinical judgment and professional growth.

A constructivist grounded theory approach was employed to conduct individual interviews, facilitating qualitative data collection from 17 undergraduate nursing students through purposive and theoretical sampling. Data was analyzed using a constant comparative analysis methodology, involving initial, focused, and axial coding. Credibility, originality, resonance, and usefulness criteria affirmed the study's trustworthiness. The study was conducted from January to June 2024.

The educational approach enhances students' logical reasoning and cognitive abilities with integrated concepts. Emphasizing concept mapping, this methodology allows students to engage in a logical reasoning process that includes deductive, inductive, and abductive reasoning. Such an approach fosters cognitive skills development, enabling students to create concept maps for specific scenarios and implement effective care interventions. Based on the findings, this novel framework has been termed the Bioscience Concepts-Visual Hypotheses-Concrete Applications (B-V-C) model.

The B-V-C learning model enhances cognitive and logical thinking skills by blending bioscience concepts, visual hypotheses, and practical applications. However, cognitive overload during the learning process may hinder students' ability to integrate complex bioscience concepts effectively, potentially impacting their learning outcomes. Additional research is needed to assess the effectiveness of the B-V-C learning model across diverse populations and explore factors influencing its implementation and efficiency in enhancing cognitive and logical reasoning skills.