Influence On Critical Thinking

To achieve the goal of baccalaureate education, programs on nursing have developed multiple pathways. These initiatives respond to students educational needs with different backgrounds of education. According to an article by Brown, Elsie and Pepa (2001), the pathways include accelerated circular options, baccalaureate education that is traditional and nurse Bachelor of Science. All these require students to meet the result of increased abilities of critical thinking. The development of these abilities is encouraged by baccalaureate education.According to article by Brown, Elsie and Pepa (2001), a research on the best combination of nursing courses and liberal arts is absent for the development of the abilities of critical thinking. However, studies have measured in each of the programs critical thinking which has revealed results that are mixed. It was demonstrated by several researchers an influence that is positive on critical thinking of traditional baccalaureate nursing education. Also education on nursing have an influence that is positive on skills on critical thinking of students in RN-BSN pathway. No studies have shown an increase that is significant in the abilities of critical thinking of accelerated students.

There is evidence that education on nursing has influence the critical thinking of students but also there is support to the contrary. There are results that are conflicting about the impacts of different pathways of education on nursing on the abilities of critical thinking of students and this is in support of contention of Hickman that there is no strong research which supports the relationship between curricula on nursing and critical thinking. (Brown, Elsie & Pepa, 2001).There was a study that was conducted in a university located in the United States (Midwestern) to measure the changes in the abilities of critical thinking of students pursuing different pathways in a similar baccalaureate nursing education. The study was to find out the difference of critical thinking at the start and the end of nursing education of traditional students, RN-BSN students and accelerated students as measured by WGCTA. After carrying out this study, the results showed that although students came from similar curriculum of baccalaureate nursing, only those students from RN-BSN and traditional pathways demonstrated an increase in the ability of critical thinking which was significant. (Brown, Elsie & Pepa, 2001).

According to the article by Brown, Elsie & Pepa, (2001), those students in the pathways that experienced differences that were significant had a similarity in the length of time that they spent in the nursing education. Traditional students finished the program in two and a half years while RN-BSN students finished theirs in two years. Accelerated students who didn’t show any difference spent 18 months in the program. The reason why there was no difference is because the program is fast and therefore these students didn’t have an ample time to reflect on the information. The ability of critical thinking develops overtime and therefore the program’s length influenced its development. The other factor that to explain the results is that the combination nursing education and liberal arts provides students with an opportunity for critical thinking ability development. Students in the pathways that showed a significant difference completed liberal arts credits unlike accelerated students who didn’t.These results allow the conclusion that in nursing education, it is important to apply pedagogy that gives strength critical thinking. The combination of nursing courses and liberal arts provides students with a classroom environment. This combination is very important because it provides an effective strategy that promotes critical thinking. (Brown, Elsie & Pepa, 2001).

References

Brown, Elsie & Pepa (2001). Influence of a Baccalaureate program on critical thinking. Critical thinking, 4- 7

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