Nursing faculty perceptions on teaching critical thinking

The perceptions of nursing faculty teaching critical thinking (CT) affective attributes and cognitive skills are described in this quantitative, descriptive study. The study sample consisted of nurse educators from the National League of Nursing database. The purpose of the study was to gain nursing faculty perception of which teaching strategies they used to teach CT. The rationale for the study was to explore how nursing faculty teach nursing students CT affective attributes and cognitive skills to care for clients with complex and multiple health care situations and in a highly technological health care environment. Nursing faculty is obligated to create learning environments to promote CT. Questionnaires were sent to 50 deans and directors of nursing programs asking them to describe which teaching strategies they thought were effective for teaching CT. Follow-up phone interviews were conducted with 7 nursing faculty who agreed to be interviewed. The results indicate that nursing faculty use multiple teaching strategies to effectively teach CT. The results indicate that nursing faculty believe that CT is a developmental process throughout the curriculum. The findings are congruent with the literature review, which showed that multiple teaching strategies were needed for development of CT affective attributes and cognitive skills. The findings are congruent with the current thinking about the use of simulation and technology in developing CT.