护理英语文献PBL.docVIP

A comparison of problem-based and traditional education on nursing students’ critical thinking dispositions KEYWORDS Critical thinking; Problem-based learning; Baccalaureate nursing Summary Determining the critical thinking (CT) levels of students in undergraduate nursing schools is important in terms of establishing the methods of education that should be used. Although there is some evidence that active learning approaches like problem-based learning are effective in developing CT, the findings are inconclusive. This descriptive analytic study compared levels of critical thinking among senior nursing students (N=147) in two educational programs, one of which used a problem based learning (PBL) model while the other used a traditional model. The California critical thinking disposition inventory (CCTDI) was used as a data collection tool. Comparisons between the groups were made using t-test analysis. There was a significant difference (p 0.05) between the critical thinking disposition scores of the seniors in the PBL school and those in the school implementing the traditional model. Analysis of sub-scale scores showed significant differences in truth-seeking and open-mindedness. These findings add to the evidence that the active and self-directed nature of PBL encourages students’ ability to think critically, be tolerant of the ideas of others and evaluate conflicting information before reaching a conclusion. _c 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Introduction Determining the scope of health issues of individuals,families and communities and providing needed care are the primary roles of the professional nurse in the contemporary world. Nurses can offer the public better care only if they can adapt to the steadily increasing complexities of the health care environment, to rapidly changing health care demands and to advances in technology(Distler, 2007). Critical thinking is widely accepted as being associated with the provision of quality care. It is