A cross-sectional study of 132 freshman and 77 senior nursing students and a longitudinal study of 27 students tested at entry and graduation using the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal found significant differences in recognition of assumptions, deduction, and interpretation between program entry and graduation. (SK)

Inquiry-based learning (IBL), a flexible holistic adaptation of problem-based learning, was implemented in a nursing curriculum. Comparison of critical thinking test scores for 228 students in their first and 257 in their last semester showed that those with the lowest scores initially benefitted most from IBL; middle and high level scorers did…

Analysis of 20 research studies of critical thinking in nursing, 1977-1995, found that the Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal was used in 18. There was no consistent evidence that nursing education increases critical thinking. Research design flaws, inconsistent definition of critical thinking, and lack of an appropriate measurement tool…

A study compared career ladder practical nursing (PN) and associate degree (AD) nursing students with their university counterparts with regard to the development of critical thinking over an academic year. The sample included 55 PN students, 55 AD students, 38 pre-health science freshmen, and 29 generic baccalaureate sophomore nursing students.…