Brazilian undergraduate nursing students’ critical thinking need to be increased: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Objectives: To map Brazilian undergraduate nursing students’ critical thinking level and investigate the correlation between selected sociodemographic data and critical thinking domains.

Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, participants’ (N=89) critical thinking was assessed using the Health Science Reasoning Test. Correlation between critical thinking domains and sociodemographic data was assessed using the Pearson correlation coefficient.

Results: The overall results showed a moderate level of participants’ critical thinking (mean = 70.7; standard deviation 5.7). A poor performance was identified in 5 of the 8 critical thinking domains. A significant positive correlation was found between education period and critical thinking (p<.001).

Conclusions: Poor level in students critical thinking domains may lead to negative consequences for their learning outcomes. Further studies should be carried out to confirm our results, in addition to investigation of teaching methods that encourage and ensure the development of students’ critical thinking skills during nursing education.