Use of Research by Undergraduate Nursing Students: A Qualitative Descriptive Study

Research utilization (RU) is crucial to preparing the next generation of registered nurses, since they are expected to stay abreast of research, read and use existing research to improve their ability to solve problems, and make decisions independently in clinical settings. Also, baccalaureate nursing programs often identify RU as an expected curricular outcome. The purpose of this study was to identify nursing students’ perceptions about RU. In this study, we used a sequential mixed methods approach. In this paper, only qualitative analysis related to RU is reported. A qualitative descriptive design was used to address the study questions. A purposive sample of 20 undergraduate students enrolled in their final year of study in BScN programs (four-year basic, honors, and accelerated programs) was recruited via e-mail to participate in the study. The study findings were categorized into the components of the Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services (PARIHS) framework, which is comprised of evidence, context, and facilitation. Findings disclosed some key themes that nursing students perceive as facilitating or restricting their use of research. These themes include level of education preparedness, clinical experience and expertise, lack of time, theory practice gap, and clinical evaluation criteria, nursing faculty support for using research, and faculty’s’ competency in research. The majority of students stated that they did not utilize the research findings in clinical practice. Insufficient knowledge about RU was the most prominent reason. These results suggest that students should be encouraged and supported to utilize research findings in their practice setting

Multidimensionality of critical thinking: A holistic perspective from multidisciplinary educators in Karachi, Pakistan

Critical thinking (CT) is a phenomenon of worldwide importance and is a desired outcome in higher and professional education. Development of CT is considered a primary responsibility of educators; however, educators find it challenging to foster learners’ CT if their own understanding of CT skills and concepts is not well developed. Limited research is available on how multidisciplinary educators perceive and practice CT. The study aimed to identify perceptions and practices of CT among educators from the disciplines of nursing, medicine, and education in higher education in Karachi, Pakistan. A descriptive exploratory qualitative design was used where 12 purposefully selected educators from three disciplines participated. Semi structured interviews were conducted and content analysis was done. Although the findings revealed four major themes, the focus of this paper is limited to the theme of faculty perceptions. Faculty’s perceptions of nature, acquisition, and application of critical thinking are multidimensional and although the educators were from various disciplines their perceptions of critical thinking were analogous. Thus combined efforts by all multidisciplinary educators in a higher education are needed to assist them to actualize their perceptions to promote CT practices in a classroom setting

Nursing Students Critical Thinking and Research Utilization

Background: In the nursing profession critical thinking (CT) has increasingly been the focus of investigation for the past several years. CT dispositions and skills are valuable in nursing practice. Nurses need complex thinking skills to effectively manage the fast-paced and constantly changing health care environments in which they work. CT is also vital in developing evidence-based nursing practice. Nurses who are disposed to think critically are more likely to critically interpret the available evidence, and able to make high quality judgments and draw valid inferences. Currently, no published studies could be located that specifically examined the relationship between Critical Thinking Dispositions CTDs) and research utilization (RU) of undergraduate nursing students. Aim: The aim of the study was to investigate the critical thinking dispositions (CTDs) and Research Utilization (RU) of undergraduate nursing students enrolled in a baccalaureate program at a university in Western Canada. Methods: The study used a sequential mixed method approach. In this paper only quantitative analysis will be reported. A convenient sample of 181 students from a 4 year BScN program for high school graduates, and a 24 months after degree BScN program for individuals admitted with a degree in another discipline completed a background/demographic questionnaire, the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory and a modified (shortened) Research Utilization Survey form developed by Estabrooks (1997). Results: The majority of participants (69%) scored below the target score of 280 on the California Critical Thinking Dispositions Inventory. This indicates an overall deficiency in critical thinking dispositions (CTDs). However, participants scored high on overall RU (mean = 3.4/5). Overall critical thinking dispositions were not statistically significantly correlated with all forms of research utilization, with the exception of persuasive research utilization. Conclusions: Approximately 30% of the students in the current study had adequate levels of CTDs. Results indicate a need for students’ continued development in these areas. Dispositions are crucial to critical thinking; without them CT and RU does not happen or may be substandard. Résumé Contexte : Au sein de la profession infirmière, la pensée critique (PC) a de plus en plus fait l’objet de recherches au cours des dernières années. Soulignons que les dispositions et aptitudes pour la PC sont des atouts précieux dans la pratique infirmière. En effet, les infirmières doivent posséder des capacités de pensée complexe pour gérer efficacement les environnements de soins de santé au rythme rapide et en constante évolution dans lesquels elles travaillent. La PC est également essentielle au développement d’une pratique infirmière fondée sur les résultats probants. D’ailleurs, les infirmières disposées à penser de façon critique sont plus susceptibles de jeter un regard critique sur les résultats probants disponibles, de poser un jugement de grande qualité et d’en arriver à des conclusions valables. Or, à ce jour, aucune étude n’a été publiée sur la relation qui existe entre les dispositions à la pensée critique (DsPC) et l’utilisation de la recherche (UR) chez les étudiantes de premier cycle en sciences infirmières. Objet : Cette étude visait à examiner les dispositions à la pensée critique (DsPC) et l’utilisation de la recherche (UR) chez les étudiantes de premier cycle en sciences infirmières qui se sont inscrites à un programme de baccalauréat dans une université de l’Ouest canadien. Méthode : Cette étude est fondée sur une méthode mixte séquentielle. Seules les analyses quantitatives y sont présentées. L’échantillon de convenance était constitué de 181 étudiantes provenant d’un programme de baccalauréat en sciences infirmières de quatre ans destiné aux titulaires d’un diplôme d’études secondaires, ainsi que d’un programme de baccalauréat en sciences infirmières de 24 mois destiné aux candidates admises avec un grade obtenu dans une autre discipline. Ces étudiantes ont rempli un questionnaire sociodémographique, le questionnaire California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory et une version modifiée (raccourcie) du formulaire Research Utilization Survey, élaboré par Estabrooks (1997). Résultats : La majorité des participantes (69%) ont obtenu une note inférieure à la note cible de 280 points au California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory. Ce résultat indique une lacune générale dans les dispositions à la pensée critique (DsPC). Toutefois, les participantes ont obtenu une note élevée pour l’utilisation de la recherche (moyenne de 3,4/5). Dans l’ensemble, les dispositions à la pensée critique n’étaient pas corrélées d’une manière statistiquement significative avec toutes les formes d’utilisation de la recherche, à l’exception de l’utilisation persuasive de la recherche. Conclusions : Approximativement 30% des étudiantes de la présente étude possédaient un niveau adéquat de dispositions à la pensée critique. Ces résultats laissent donc entendre que les étudiantes ont besoin de continuer à se développer dans ces domaines. Les dispositions à la pensée critique sont cruciales; sans elles, le recours à la pensée critique et l’utilisation de la recherche ne se produisent pas ou peuvent se situer à des niveaux non conformes aux normes

Enhancing Educators’ skills for promoting Critical Thinking in their classroom discourses: A randomized control trial

The literature reveals that educators find it challenging to foster critical thinking (CT) in their students if they have not learned how to use CT in their educational system or training. This paper reports findings from a national research project that was undertaken to enhance the educators’ ability to promote CT in their teaching practices. Using a randomized control trial design with a pre- and post-test, 91 educators from 14 of the 17 schools of nursing in Pakistan consented to enroll in the study and 72 completed the study. The intervention included 40 hours of learning experience during two workshops that focused on CT. Data were collected, pre- and post-intervention, via observations and audiotaping of the participants teaching sessions for 60-90 minutes. The data obtained was assessed for the educators’ level of questioning, teaching strategies, and facilitation skills. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Compared with the pre- intervention data, findings from the post-intervention data in the experimental group revealed positive changes in their pedagogical skills, including a significant increase in the number of higher order questions that are considered important for developing students’ CT skills. This study affirms that educators must have structured training to use and foster CT in their teaching practices

The intellectual structure and substance of the knowledge utilization field: A longitudinal author co-citation analysis, 1945 to 2004

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>It has been argued that science and society are in the midst of a far-reaching renegotiation of the social contract between science and society, with society becoming a far more active partner in the creation of knowledge. On the one hand, new forms of knowledge production are emerging, and on the other, both science and society are experiencing a rapid acceleration in new forms of knowledge utilization. Concomitantly since the Second World War, the science underpinning the knowledge utilization field has had exponential growth. Few in-depth examinations of this field exist, and no comprehensive analyses have used bibliometric methods.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Using bibliometric analysis, specifically first author co-citation analysis, our group undertook a domain analysis of the knowledge utilization field, tracing its historical development between 1945 and 2004. Our purposes were to map the historical development of knowledge utilization as a field, and to identify the changing intellectual structure of its scientific domains. We analyzed more than 5,000 articles using citation data drawn from the Web of Science^®. Search terms were combinations of knowledge, research, evidence, guidelines, ideas, science, innovation, technology, information theory and use, utilization, and uptake.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We provide an overview of the intellectual structure and how it changed over six decades. The field does not become large enough to represent with a co-citation map until the mid-1960s. Our findings demonstrate vigorous growth from the mid-1960s through 2004, as well as the emergence of specialized domains reflecting distinct collectives of intellectual activity and thought. Until the mid-1980s, the major domains were focused on innovation diffusion, technology transfer, and knowledge utilization. Beginning slowly in the mid-1980s and then growing rapidly, a fourth scientific domain, evidence-based medicine, emerged. The field is dominated in all decades by one individual, Everett Rogers, and by one paradigm, innovation diffusion.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We conclude that the received view that social science disciplines are in a state where no accepted set of principles or theories guide research (<it>i.e.</it>, that they are pre-paradigmatic) could not be supported for this field. Second, we document the emergence of a new domain within the knowledge utilization field, evidence-based medicine. Third, we conclude that Everett Rogers was the dominant figure in the field and, until the emergence of evidence-based medicine, his representation of the general diffusion model was the dominant paradigm in the field.</p

Facilitators and deterrents of critical thinking in classrooms: A multidisciplinary perspective in higher education in Karachi, Pakistan

The paper presents the perceptions of educators from nursing, medicine and education discipline about the facilitators and deterrents of critical thinking (CT) in higher education in Karachi, Pakistan\u27 Using a qualitative descriptive exploratory design, 12 university educators from three disciplines were recruited as study participants using purposive sampling. Data was collected through semi structured interviews and manually analyzed for themes and categories. Findings related to the theme of facilitators and deterrents of CT are presented in this paper. Study participants identified a variety of key factors related to teacher competence, nature of students, leaming environment, and organizational ethos and resources that influence the implementation and promotion of CT in higher education