Undergraduate nurses' reflections on visual thinking learning to construct inductive reasoning through situated patient pictures: A mixed-method study

Abstract

Background/objectiveDeductive logic has often been used to develop critical thinking. However, inductive logical thinking, essential to care decision-making, has yet to be emphasized. This study aimed to explore visual thinking learning among undergraduate nursing students by asking them to draw situated patient pictures in order to integrate theoretical knowledge and promote inductive logical thinking. MethodsA mixed-methods research design was used to obtain quantitative and qualitative data from a convenience sample of 100 students. The study was conducted in a Taiwanese university from September 2022 to January 2023. In the quantitative component, learners' views of situated patient pictures were captured based on 15 paired identifiers and two questions: (a) What word should be used in describing the situated patient's picture? (b) How strongly do you feel about the selection? Written feedback was analyzed using qualitative content analysis. ResultsQuantitative analysis identified specific, unpretentious, humorous, harmonious, conservative, realistic, rational, entire, image performance, professional performance, understandable, expressive, static performance, rigorous, and profuse with a reasonable degree of choice. Qualitative analysis identified four stages in participants' development of inductive reasoning through situated patient pictures and visual thinking learning. These were: exploration, intuition, theme, and logic and creation. ConclusionsThe results suggest that visual thinking learning is a practical pedagogical approach to increasing learners' communication abilities, group cooperation, theoretical knowledge integration, and logical thinking. Neither educators nor learners required any artistic skills. Nonetheless, participants demonstrated creativity and innovation through continuous visual thinking learning.