Using unfolding case studies to develop critical thinking skills in baccalaureate nursing students: A pilot study

Abstract

BackgroundResearch has consistently demonstrated that new graduate nurses do not possess sufficient critical thinking skills when they transition to clinical practice. Unfolding case studies encourage students to participate in a number of critical thinking skills including information-seeking, logical reasoning, and analyzing of clinical data. ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to determine how the use of unfolding case studies as a learning modality affected baccalaureate students' critical thinking skills in their Adult Health Theory course. The researcher compared course examination scores earned by nursing students who were taught using traditional case studies to scores obtained by nursing students who completed unfolding case studies. SettingThe pilot study took place at a moderate-sized comprehensive university in Wisconsin. DesignA non-experimental correlational design using course examination scores data was employed to examine how the use of unfolding case studies as a learning modality affected baccalaureate students' critical thinking skills in their Adult Health Theory course. ParticipantsA total of 160 students comprised the intervention group while an additional 142 students represented the control group in the study. MethodsAn independent-samples t-test was performed to explore differences in mean scores between the intervention and control groups. ResultsResults of the t-test indicate that mean examination scores were significantly higher for the intervention group (M = 234.9, SD = 13.1) than for the control group (M = 228.2, SD = 13.3); t(299) =, p < .001. ConclusionsResults of this study suggest that unfolding case studies more effectively develop students' critical thinking skills than do a more traditional, static case study.