Effects of the design thinking pedagogy on design thinking competence of nursing students in Taiwan: A prospective non-randomized study

Abstract

BackgroundDesign thinking pedagogy was commonly adopted in higher education across professional fields, but not in nursing education. To enhance design thinking competence of nursing students, integrating design thinking pedagogy has been suggested. ObjectiveTo assess the effect of incorporating design thinking pedagogy into Leadership Development courses on design thinking competence in nursing students. DesignProspective non-randomized study. Participant and settingThis study was conducted in a University of Science and Technology in northern Taiwan. Nursing students taking elective Leadership Development courses were included as the experimental group (n = 150). Age- and gender-matched nursing students without taking Leadership Development courses were included as the control group (n = 150). MethodsTwo self-reported questionnaires, Taiwanese version of Creative Synthesis Inventory (CSI-TW) and Design Thinking Traits Questionnaire (DTTQ-TW), were used to assess design thinking competence of nursing students before and after test. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) after adjustment for pre-test mean scores was performed to assess differences in the adjusted post-test mean scores between the two groups. ResultsThe ANCOVA analysis indicated nursing students in the experimental group had significantly improved total scores of and subscale scores of CSI-TW compared to those of the control group. Although total score of DTTQ-TW as well as subscale scores of feedback-seeking and experimentalism were significantly enhanced in the experimental group than their control counterparts, no significant differences in subscale scores of integrative thinking, optimism, and collaboration were observed between two groups. ConclusionDesign thinking pedagogy significantly improved overall design thinking competence of nursing students. This study provided quantitative evidence to support the implementation of design thinking pedagogy in nursing education to facilitate the design thinking competence of nursing students.