Thinking Disposition Research Articles

How does framing influence preference for multiple solutions to societal problems?

Solutions to environmental and social problems are often framed in dichotomous ways, which can be counterproductive. Instead, multiple solutions are often needed to fully address these problems. Here we examine how framing influences people's preference for multiple solutions. In a pre-registered experiment, participants (N = 1,432) were randomly assigned to one of four framing conditions. In the first three conditions, participants were presented with a series of eight problems, each framed with multiple causes, multiple impacts, or multiple solutions to the problem. The control condition did not present any framing information. Participants indicated their preferred solution, perceived severity and urgency of the problem, and their dichotomous thinking tendency. Pre-registered analyses showed that none of the three frames had a significant impact on preference for multiple solutions, perceived severity, perceived urgency, or dichotomous thinking. However, exploratory analyses showed that perceived severity and urgency of the problem were positively correlated with people's preference for multiple solutions, while dichotomous thinking was negatively correlated. These findings showed no demonstrable impact of framing on multi-solution preference. Future interventions should focus on addressing perceived severity and urgency, or decreasing dichotomous thinking to encourage people to adopt multiple solutions to address complex environmental and social problems.

Conceptualising critical thinking and its research in teacher education: A systematic review

ABSTRACT Pre-service teachers play a crucial role in fostering critical thinking among students to enhance their effectiveness in the 21st century. This systematic review examines 43 empirical studies to gain deeper insights into the concept of critical thinking in teacher education. We identified two primary definitions of critical thinking: the logical sense and value sense, both rooted in a discipline-oriented framework. The findings indicate that the logical sense, particularly the philosophical approach, predominantly informs research conducted on pre-service teachers. However, when it comes to critical thinking disposition, research results often fall short in demonstrating significant development, underscoring the contextual nature of critical thinking. Critical thinking is a sociological research method used to logically evaluate a problem by creating awareness of problematic knowledge and social situations. After analysing the influence of the relationship between critical thinking and research on critical thinking development in pre-service teachers, our findings suggest that there are limitations to cultivating critical thinking; further verification is needed regarding pre-service teachers’ ability to transfer critical thinking among various contexts or situations. This review emphasises the significance of embracing the multifaceted and context-bound aspects of critical thinking and good judgment for thinking quality in pre-service teacher education research.

Development of critical thinking of students – future biotechnologists in the process of teaching mathematics

Introduction. In the context of the availability of information containing misleading arguments, the prevalence of electronic devices and the Internet, there is the increasing demand for the ability to effectively navigate the information field, to establish cause-and-effect relationships, to formulate one’s own conclusions and to make informed decisions. Consequently, one of a modern university graduate’s key competencies is critical thinking, which influences students’ adaptation in society and their professional realisation. Critical thinking development is an urgent task in the process of mathematical education of students, who plan to work in areas directly related to the well-being of future generations.Aim. The current research aims to identify and test the methodological conditions that ensure the development of critical thinking of students – future biotechnologists in the process of teaching mathematics at the university. An additional task was the development of diagnostic tools aimed at assessing critical thinking skills.Methodology and research methods. The research involved 81 students of the Vyatka State University majoring in 19.03.01 Biotechnology training programme. The main methods for measuring critical thinking, presented by the UF/EMI Critical Thinking Disposition Instrument and the Critical Thinking Barriers Scale (CTBS), were supplemented with diagnostic tools from specially designed tasks, taking into account the specifics of teaching mathematics to future biotechnologists. Statistical analysis of the obtained results was performed using the Mann-Whitney U test.Results and scientific novelty. For the first time, on the basis of modern research, the features of the formation and evaluation of critical thinking of students – future biotechnologists in the process of teaching mathematics are presented. A number of methodological conditions, which ensure the development of this type of thinking, are formulated. The conditions clarify and expand the ideas about the system of mathematical training of bachelors-biotechnologists. Diagnostic tools were developed and tested. Its key feature is that the student does not work in a simulated environment, but on real problems. The intervention effectiveness based on the described conditions was confirmed by significant differences (Uemp.= 128 < Ucr.= 142; p < 0,01).Practical significance. The identified methodological conditions and the proposed diagnostic tools can be used to improve the mathematical training of future biotechnologists, as well as to optimise the process of teaching mathematics in order to develop the main components of critical thinking.

Effects of a virtual simulation-based interprofessional education activity for rehabilitation nursing using shared resources: A quasi-experimental study

BackgroundInterprofessional education (IPE) is crucial for effective clinical practice but remains challenging to be implemented. The IPE activity using virtual simulation (VS) may potentially solve the time and space challenges of in-person interprofessional simulations. Using shared VS resources may increase the popularity of virtual teaching in conditions of limited resources. ObjectivesUsing shared resources, this study aimed to design and implement a VS-based IPE activity for undergraduate healthcare students, exploring the effects. DesignA quasi-experimental design was used, with assessments conducted before and after the activity. SettingsOne university and its affiliated hospitals in south China. ParticipantsForty-two undergraduate students majoring in nursing, clinical medicine, and rehabilitation therapy participated in this study. MethodsA test composed of ten questions was used to evaluate knowledge of rehabilitation. The Chinese version of Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CTDI-CV) and the Chinese version of Assessment of Interprofessional Team Collaboration in Student Learning Scale (AITCS-II (Student)-CV) were used to evaluate critical thinking and interprofessional collaboration. Participants' opinions about the activity were assessed, considering satisfaction, perceived effectiveness, the ease of shared VS platform use, and suggestions about the activity. ResultsSignificant improvements were shown in pre- and post-test total scores on knowledge of rehabilitation, mean scores for overall critical thinking disposition, and mean item scores on overall interprofessional team collaboration. ConclusionsThe study provides a reference for designing and implementing VS-based IPE but the effects of this innovative pedagogy on students' rehabilitation knowledge, critical thinking, and interprofessional collaboration ability still need to be further confirmed. Most of the students gave positive feedback on the activity. Technical issues should be addressed to decrease their impacts on the VS practice experience.

The Sociocognitive Origins of Personal Mastery.

This article examines the relationship between cognitive processing and mastery. While scholars have called for the integration of sociological and cognitive analyses of mastery, sociological research has focused almost exclusively on mapping its social correlates. As a result, sociologists have relied on untested and underspecified assumptions about cognition to explain the efficacy of mastery. Taking an interdisciplinary approach integrating research on mastery, dual-process models of cognition, and intersectionality, we specify and test the hypothesis that deliberate thinking dispositions are associated with a greater sense of control over one's life chances and assess whether this relationship varies across different intersections of social positions. Regression results from survey data in a diverse student sample (N = 982) suggest a positive correlation between deliberate cognitive style and personal mastery. However, results from a quantitative intersectional analysis demonstrate that this relationship does not hold for East Asian women.

Critical Thinking Disposition and Influencing Factors Among New Graduate Nurses.

Critical thinking disposition is important to facilitate professional judgment for novice nurses. The goals of this study were to describe critical thinking disposition among newly graduated nurses and to examine the factors that impact the development of critical thinking disposition. This study employed a cross-sectional research design. The mean critical thinking score was 244.11 (SD = 44.70), with the highest mean scores earned on the inquisitiveness subscale (M = 38.46, SD = 7.10). The lowest subscale scores were for systematicity (M = 34.81, SD = 5.54), truth seeking (M = 33.12, SD = 6.42), and self-confidence (M = 29.26, SD = 6.90). Critical thinking dispositions were significantly associated with teaching strategies during the educational period, problem-based learning courses, and length of exposure to problem-based learning. Findings provide information to understand the disposition toward critical thinking in novice nurses and can serve as a reference in efforts to improve novice nurses' critical thinking skills. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2023;54(5):233-240.].

The Effects of an Innovation Process in Nursing Course on Students' Creative Thinking and Entrepreneurial Skills: An Uncontrolled Before/After Study.

Background: Creative thinking and entrepreneurship have an important place in innovation studies in the field of nursing. Purpose: This study aims to examine the effect of an Innovation Process in Nursing course on students' creative thinking tendencies and entrepreneurship skills. Methods: An uncontrolled before/after design with non-probability sampling collected data on 70 nursing students in a 15-week Innovation Process in Nursing course using the Marmara Creative Thinking Dispositions Scale (MCTDS) and the University Students Entrepreneurship Scale. Data were analyzed using percentage, mean, standard deviation, and paired samples t-test. Conclusions: Scores on both the MCTDS and the University Students Entrepreneurship Scale improved significantly (p < 0.05) on post-test. Implications for Practice: Nurse educators should add courses on creative thinking and entrepreneurship to the curriculum.

미술관과 전시의 정체성 일치가 미술관 장소애착에 미치는 영향

In this study, we show that the degree to which the museum's identity matches the exhibition's identity affects processing fluency of the exhibition and aesthetic experience in the museum. Data were collected and analyzed for four representative museums in Korea. The results of a multiple mediation analysis and a moderated mediation analysis revealed that when museum visitors perceive the exhibition to go well with the museum, fluency in processing the exhibition increases aesthetic experience of the museum, which in turn generates place attachment. In addition, when the identity of the museum and that of the exhibition matches, the fit has a significant positive effect on the content creation intention especially among the visitors with high holistic thinking tendency.

Hemşirelikte Eleştirel Düşünme Dersinin Öğrencilerinin Eleştirel Düşünme Eğilimlerine Etkisi

Purpose: The current study was conducted to determine the effect of the critical thinking course given to nursing students on their critical thinking dispositions. Method: A one-group pre-test post-test quasi-experimental design was used in the study. A total of 58 students who studied at the Nursing Department of the Faculty of Health Sciences of a university in the fall term of the 2020-2021 academic year and selected the elective critical thinking in nursing course were included in the study group. Data were collected by using a student information form and the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory. Key Results: Of the students in this study, 44 (75.9%) were female. Also, 37 (63.8%) of them stated that they chose the profession willingly, 41 (70.7%) were found to not participate in social activities, and 51 (87.9%) stated that they were a member of an association. The difference between students’ pre-and post-test scores (220.36 ± 24.72 and 311.74 ± 32.06, respectively) taken from the critical thinking scale was found significant (p &amp;lt; .001). Recommendations for Research and Practice: It can be said that the critical thinking in nursing course affects students’ critical thinking dispositions positively.

Technological support to foster students’ artificial intelligence ethics: An augmented reality-based contextualized dilemma discussion approach

Research evidence has emphasized the potential of questioning-based dilemmas and has contextualized role-play simulation to foster students' artificial intelligence (AI) ethics. Therefore, this study combined the viewpoints to design a contextualized dilemma discussion approach in the context of developing primary school students' AI ethics. However, without case-specific and suitable guidelines, students might have difficulties participating in the learning tasks to play different roles in the AI ethical dilemma discussion. Accordingly, for this study, we developed an augmented reality (AR) learning system-based contextualized dilemma discussion approach to foster students' active engagement in learning AI ethics with dilemma discussion using visualized AR guidance and feedback. A quasi-experiment and lag sequential analysis were executed by recruiting 79 primary school students to examine the effects of the proposed approach. The experimental results showed that the proposed approach was better able to improve students' learning achievements of AI ethical awareness, ethical reasoning, and higher order thinking tendency than the mobile learning system-guided contextualized dilemma discussion approach. Lag sequential analysis findings identified that the proposed approach could promote students’ AI ethical learning behavior patterns by some crucial guidelines, including (1) embedding the non-intrusive AR guidance and feedback in the contextualized dilemma discussion, (2) immersive role-playing scenarios, and (3) case-based visual discussion. Administrators could provide a supportive environment to promote the combination of AR guidance and the contextualized dilemma discussion approach to improve the effectiveness of learning AI ethics.

Relationship between Middle School Students’ Innovative Thinking Tendencies and Entrepreneurial Skills

This study aims to determine the relationship between middle school students’ innovative thinking tendencies and entrepreneurial skills and to identify the variables that predict entrepreneurial skill. To this end, the study used the correlational survey method. The study group consists of 274 5th-, 6th-, and 7th-graders studying in 3 middle schools in the central district of Trabzon Province, Turkey, in the 2021-2022 academic year. The study data were collected using the “Innovative Thinking Tendency Scale for Middle School Students” (ITTSMSS) and the “Entrepreneurship Scale for Secondary School Students” (ESSSS). They were subjected to correlation and regression analyses via SPSS 22 statistical analysis program. Through the analysis, the study found a high relationship between middle school students’ innovative self-efficacy and self-awareness. It was also determined that innovative self-efficacy, openness to innovation, innovative problem solving, innovative perseverance, and innovative group leadership predicted the middle school students’ entrepreneurial skill levels at significant, positive, and moderate levels. Based on the results, it is recommended to create teaching content and organize teaching activities in which entrepreneurial skill and innovative thinking skill are covered together and aimed to be developed.

Students’ beliefs about computer programming predict their computational thinking and computer programming self-efficacy

ABSTRACT While research has shown that students’ epistemic beliefs can be a strong predictor of their academic performance, cognitive abilities, or self-efficacy, studies of this topic in computer education are rare. The purpose of this study was twofold. First, it aimed to validate a newly developed questionnaire for measuring students’ epistemic beliefs about computer programming at middle school level. Second, the study aimed to understand how students’ epistemic beliefs predict their computational thinking disposition and computer programming self-efficacy. A total of 406 middle school students completed a survey consisting of three research instruments: the Computer Programming Epistemic Belief Inventory (CPEBI), the Computational Thinking Scale (CTS), and the Computer Programming Self-Efficacy Scale (CPSES). The results indicated that the epistemic belief of “uncertainty” was a significant and positive predictor of the “abstraction” and “generalization” dimensions of computational thinking dispositions. In addition, the belief of “complexity” was an antecedent to three dimensions of computational thinking, namely, “algorithmic thinking,” “evaluation,” and “generalization.” Only the “evaluation” dimension of CT disposition had significant and positive relationships with “programming self-efficacy.” The roles of “uncertainty” and “complexity” of computer programming epistemic beliefs are discussed. Implications and suggestions for future computer programming education, especially for young students, are provided.

NEEDS ASSESSMENT REPORT ADOPTING A MIXED-METHOD DESIGN: CHINESE POSTGRADUATES’ IMPRESSIONS OF CRITICAL THINKING APPROACH IN RESEARCH METHOD COURSE

In the contemporary milieu of academia and quotidian endeavors, the faculty of critical thinking is recognized as an essential and irreplaceable aptitude for each individual. Over the course of recent decades, the subject of critical thinking has garnered substantial attention across the sphere of higher education, with Chinese students being no exception. The present investigation seeks to elucidate the exigencies evaluation of international Chinese postgraduate students' perceptions pertaining to the incorporation of critical thinking methodologies within research methods coursework, in conjunction with their requisites and expectations for the inculcation of critical thinking proficiencies as an integral constituent of the academic writing curriculum. This empirical inquiry, employing a mixed-methods approach, drew upon the Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CTDI) as its primary instrument. A total of 147 Chinese international college master's students voluntarily partook in the study. The resultant data revealed that the understanding of critical thinking abilities among the overseas Chinese postgraduate population was marked by ambiguity and perplexity. Such a phenomenon can be attributed to the influence of the traditional Chinese educational system, which engenders a prevalent indifference towards critical thinking competencies among the majority of the international Chinese postgraduate demographic. To address the exigency of bolstering their scholastic achievements and enhancing their thesis-writing efficacy through more analytical and critical means, the Chinese postgraduate respondents underscored the imperative to amalgamate critical thinking skills into their research methods coursework.&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt; Article visualizations:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="/-counters-/soc/0026/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Critical Thinking in Nonprofit Management Education Is an Explicit Emphasis Related to Greater Skill Development?

Critical thinking is a core skill for nonprofit managers. Teaching for critical thinking is effective in improving students’ critical thinking; however, the pedagogy must be contextualized to various domains. This quasi-experimental study explored the contextualization of critical thinking skill development in two identical nonprofit management education (NME) courses. The research questions were: a) what is the critical thinking disposition of undergraduate NME students?, and b) does an explicit pedagogical focus on critical thinking in NME lead to increased capacity to exercise critical thinking skills? Findings suggest that an explicit focus on critical thinking was related to improved skill performance. Statistically significant differences were found for four of the six critical thinking skills. The change in skill performance may be a combination of both motivation and skill change, both of which benefit from an explicit focus on critical thinking.

The Effect of Critical Thinking on Translation Technology Competence Among College Students: The Chain Mediating Role of Academic Self-Efficacy and Cultural Intelligence

It is increasingly essential for translators to possess a high level of technological proficiency to succeed in their work, as technology is becoming an integral part and common practice of the translation industry. Several previous studies found that critical thinking, academic self-efficacy, and cultural intelligence independently influenced the translation competence of college students. However, the underlying psychological mechanism through which these salient factors affect student translators' technology competence has not been fully explored. Therefore, this research sought to examine the systematic interactions between critical thinking, academic self-efficacy, cultural intelligence, and translation technology competence among college students. This study adopted an empirical approach to collect data from 663 seniors from 7 colleges in China. The questionnaires of the Critical Thinking Disposition Scale (CTDS), General Academic Self-Efficacy Scale (GASE), Short Form measure of Cultural Intelligence (SFCQ), and Translation Technology Competence Scale (TTCS) were used for the online survey. The quantitative data were investigated by employing descriptive statistics with SPSS 27, covariance-based structural equation modelling with AMOS 24 to test the proposed hypotheses by assessing relationships between observed and latent variables, and bootstrap method with PROCESS 3.5 to examine the mediating effects. Critical thinking, academic self-efficacy, and cultural intelligence were significant predictors of students' translation technology competence. Additionally, academic self-efficacy and cultural intelligence acted as independent and chain mediators in the relationship between critical thinking and student translators' technology competence. The findings provide valuable insight into how psychological factors, including critical thinking, academic self-efficacy, and cultural intelligence, can impact students' competence in translation technology. This study contributes to future research and practices that seek to understand how these psychological factors can be leveraged to promote students' success in translation technologies.

Medical students’ reflective capacity and its role in their critical thinking disposition

BackgroundDeveloping reflective capacity and critical thinking is one of the prerequisites of education in health professions, especially medicine. This study aimed to determine the reflective capacity of medical students and its role in their critical thinking disposition.MethodsIn this cross-sectional descriptive research, conducted in 2022, a total of 240 medical intern students were selected using the convenient sampling method. Data were collected using a reflective capacity questionnaire and critical thinking disposition questionnaire and analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistics using SPSS20.ResultsThe mean reflective capacity was 4.53 ± 0.50, and mean critical thinking disposition was 127.52 ± 10.85. Among the dimensions of reflection, “active self-appraisal (SA)” and “reflective with others (RO)” had the highest and lowest means, respectively. The dimensions of critical thinking disposition with the highest and lowest means were related to innovation and intellectual maturity, respectively. Reflective capacity and its dimensions were found to have a direct and statistically significant relationship with critical thinking disposition and its dimensions. Regression analysis results showed that reflective capacity accounts for 28% of students’ critical thinking disposition.ConclusionThe relationship between students’ reflective capacity and their critical thinking disposition has rendered reflection as one of the necessary components of medical education. Thus, determining the learning activities by considering the reflection process and models will be very effective in creating and strengthening critical thinking disposition.

시뮬레이션 기반 인수인계 교육이 간호대학생의 지식, 비판적 사고 성향, 임상 판단력에 미치는 효과

Purpose Clinical nurses work in three shifts due to the specificity of the ward's work, and there is a handoff of nursing work for each shift. The nurse's handoff maintains the continuity of nursing care, ensuring the safety of patients and the quality of nursing care and medical care. Handoff is an important nursing activity that exchanges patient information, and it is the responsibility and duty of medical staff to accurately deliver this information. In addition, simulation-based education is an educational method that provides opportunities for clinical practice without having harmful results in nursing and medicine. This study was conducted to evaluate handoff knowledge, critical thinking disposition, and clinical judgment by developing and applying a simulation-based handoff education program for nursing college students. Method This study is a one-group pretest-posttest design to develop and operate a simulation-based handoff training program to verify its effectiveness. The subjects were 4th year students enrolled in the Department of Nursing at the College of Nursing in Gyeonggi-do, The data were collected from February 19 to March 2, 2018. For data analysis, SPSS Version 22.0 was used, and general characteristics were analyzed by numbers, percentages, averages, and standard deviations. Before and after participating in the educational program, the subject's handoff knowledge, critical thinking disposition, and clinical judgment were analyzed using a paired t-test. Results Thirty people participated in this study as subjects. All participants were female and the average age was 22 years. The main results of the study are as follows. There was a significant difference in handoff knowledge from 4.63±1.61 before education to 5.83±0.95 after education (t=-3.71, p=0.001). There was a significant difference from 3.39±0.46 before education to 3.75±0.42 after education (t=-4.69, p&lt;0.001). There was a significant difference in clinical judgment from 1.79±0.37 before education to 3.15±0.48 after education (t=-15.67 , p&lt;0.001). Conclusion As a result of this study, it was confirmed that the simulation-based handoff education program was effective in improving the handoff knowledge, critical thinking disposition, and clinical judgment of nursing students. Therefore, based on the results of this study, it is expected that it will be used as basic data for establishing an education system to improve the performance of handoff in the future. In addition, it is considered that it can be used for education for new nurses and idle nurses, contributing to the improvement of the quality of handoff in the future.

Attitudes Towards STEAM, Critical Thinking Disposition and Decision-Making Skills: Mediation and Gender Moderation

In this study, the relationship between highly desired 21st century skills including students’ attitudes towards STEAM, critical thinking dispositions and decision-making skills and the role of gender on these associations were investigated. The data was collected from 4th grade students in the 2022-2023 academic year using the typical case sampling method. “STEAM Attitude Scale”, “Critical Thinking Disposition Scale” and “Decision-Making Skill Scale” were utilized. Mediation model were estimated using the whole sample, followed by multigroup analyses that employed gender as the moderation variable. The results indicated that primary school students' attitudes towards STEAM, their critical thinking dispositions and decision-making skills were at a high level. The mediation analysis revealed that attitudes towards STEAM had direct effect on decision-making skills, and critical thinking disposition was found to be partially mediating this association. Multigroup analyses provided evidences for the significant moderation role of gender pertaining to the specified associations in the model. The findings provide insights into the importance of developing positive attitudes towards STEAM disciplines regarding its evidential effect on critical thinking disposition and informed decision-making skills in primary schools, and the necessity of attending to the role of gender in future educational interventions.

Effect of Online Case-Based Teaching Method on Professional Development of Nursing Students

Objective: This study was conducted to determine the effect of online case-based education, as part of distance education, on nursing students’ professional values, professional behavior, problem-solving, critical-thinking skills, and self-directed learning skills.&#x0D; Methods: The study was conducted using a single-group pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design. A total of 58 3rd grade nursing students participated in this study The data before the study were collected electronically with the Google forms application using the personal information forms and scales (Self-Directed Learning Skills Scale, Problem Solving Inventory, California Critical Thinking Disposition Scale, Nurses Professional Values Scale, Nursing Students Professional Behaviors Scale).&#x0D; Results: After online case-based nursing process teaching, the difference in the total mean score of the students in all scales was found to be statistically significant (p&lt; 0.01). It was found that, after the training had been provided through case-based education, the score average of students’ professional values, professional behaviors, problem-solving, critical thinking skills and self-directed learning increased.&#x0D; Conclusion: Use of online case-based teaching is useful for increasing nursing students’ nursing skills in distance education.

AN INVESTIGATION OF PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS’ CRITICAL THINKING DISPOSITIONS AND DECISION-MAKING SKILLS

The aim of this study is to determine the relationship between 3rd and 4th-grade primary school students’ critical thinking dispositions and decision-making skills. The participants in this study consist of 3rd and 4th grade students studying in a primary school in Istanbul, Turkey, and a total of 749 students participated. The correlational design, one of the quantitative research designs, was used in the study. The Critical Thinking Disposition Scale for Primary School Students and the Decision-Making Skills Scale for Primary School Students were used as data collection tools. An independent sample t-test was conducted to examine the scales according to variables such as gender and grade level. One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was applied to examine the scale scores according to the educational status of the parents. Finally, Simple Linear Regression Analysis was performed to examine the relationship between the scales. The results showed that the critical thinking disposition level of primary school students was higher than the mean score, and their decision-making skills were average. Also, it was found that primary school students’ critical thinking dispositions predicted their decision-making skills.