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Failure to rescue (FTR) outcomes may be one consequence of the relationship be-tween healthcare provider behaviors and attitudes, organizational factors, and environ-mental factors that intersect to potentially threaten patient safety. Early warning systems (EWS) were designed as surveillance systems to reduce failure to rescue events and avoid morbidity and mortality. Challenges with EWS include lack of standardization, organiza-tional barriers, such as culture and supports, and human factor attributes such as intuition, expertise, and experience. The experience and perceptions of nurses using EWS technolo-gy as it relates to their clinical assessment, critical thinking, and decision-making skills has yet to be undertaken. This study adds to the body of EWS and FTR literature and the broader culture of safety literature in acute care environments. The purposes of this exploratory qualitative descriptive study was to explore the experiences of nurses using EWS in acute care practice settings and how they perceive it impacts on their critical thinking and clinical decision-making processes. The study identi-fied three informative findings: a) EWS has added value particularly with novice nurses or nurses new to practice settings, b) EWS provides benefits to nurses working in acute clinical environments that experience high volumes and high acuity of patients by alerting or reminding them about potential FTR situations, and c) Existing EWS may require mod-ification to improve adequacy, reduce redundancy, and reduce alarm fatigue. Based on the evidence reviewed, a qualitative study to increase our understanding of the experi-ence of nurses and their perception of the impact of EWS and related technology on their critical thinking and other nursing practice processes has the potential to contribute to a wider evaluation of EWS systems and to improve patient outcomes. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc) / Before patients on general medical or surgical hospital units become so ill that they need to be transferred to an intensive care unit, they have abnormal vital signs and other physiological changes that can go unnoticed for 2448 hours. As these changes can be hard to detect and serious illness can begin very slowly at first, early warning systems have been developed to help health care professionals respond to patient’s conditions before they need to be in an intensive care unit. These early warning systems can be in the form of new technology and assist nurses with preventing a serious illness from becoming critical. It is not well research or understood how nurses experience such early warning systems technology and it is not well understood how nurses think this technology impacts their nursing practice. The overall aim of the study is to learn more about the experience and perception of nurses who use this technology, how they believe it informs their nursing practice and how it supports them in making clinical decisions about patient care.

Key strategies of Problem-based learning (PBL) can contribute to students' skills development of the Profile of a Virginia Graduate's expectations of critical thinking, creativity, communication, collaboration, and citizenship (the 5 C's). PBL is a popular trend in public education. It is generally defined as a teaching method in which students gain knowledge and skills by working collaboratively to investigate and respond to authentic and engaging open-ended questions and/or problems. This study explored the strategies teachers used when implementing PBL and what strategies aided in the skills development of the 5 C's. The research question addressed was, What key strategies of PBL instruction contributed to the development of the Profile of a Virginia Graduate's expectations of critical thinking, creativity, communication, collaboration, and citizenship for fourth and fifth grade students at one elementary school in Virginia? Through a basic qualitative study, information was gathered on the strategies used in PBL instruction in elementary classrooms to develop students' 5 C's. Findings suggest that small group work, student-centered learning, student choice, peer-to-peer relationships, and modeling were strategies used in PBL instruction to develop the 5 C's. Participants were interviewed by a substitute researcher. Because of the researcher's role as principal of the school in which this research is being conducted, anonymity was used to protect the employer/employee relationship and reduce researcher bias. Results were analyzed using a data analysis process to identify key strategies used in PBL instruction that increase the 5 C's. Perceptions of the participants provided a better understanding of the strategies used during PBL implementation and skills development of the 5 C's. Findings suggest that participants felt PBL to be a successful instructional tool for elementary students. It increased engagement and increased skills development of the 5 C's. The information gained should support leaders in the implementation of PBL in elementary classrooms. / Doctor of Education / Key strategies of Problem-based learning (PBL) can contribute to students' skills development of the Profile of a Virginia Graduate's expectations of critical thinking, creativity, communication, collaboration, and citizenship (the 5 C's). PBL is a popular trend in public education. It is generally defined as a teaching method in which students gain knowledge and skills by working collaboratively to investigate and respond to authentic and engaging open-ended questions and/or problems. This study explored the strategies teachers used when implementing PBL and what strategies aided in the skills development of the 5 C's. The research question addressed was, What key strategies of PBL instruction contributed to the development of the Profile of a Virginia Graduate's expectations of critical thinking, creativity, communication, collaboration, and citizenship for fourth and fifth grade students at one elementary school in Virginia? Through a basic qualitative study, information was gathered on the strategies used in PBL instruction in elementary classrooms to develop students' 5 C's. Findings suggest that small group work, student-centered learning, student choice, peer-to-peer relationships, and modeling were strategies used in PBL instruction to develop the 5 C's.

The effect of an interdisciplinary algebra/science course on students' critical thinking skills was examined. A traditional college algebra course was used as a comparison group. The students in the sample enrolled in college algebra and then half were randomly placed into the interdisciplinary course. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest comparison group design was used. The Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal was used to measure the students' critical thinking skills. This instrument consists of an overall critical thinking score as well as five subscores in the areas of Inference, Recognition of Assumptions, Deduction, Interpretation and Evaluation of Arguments. It was found that the students in the interdisciplinary course made greater gains in the overall critical thinking score as well as in four of the five subscores. However, the differences in the gains made in the two courses were not statistically significant. Disregarding course, other factors that were found to be closely related to critical thinking were Composite ACT, grade received in the course, Math ACT and grade point average. It was also found that students whose majors were in the Schools of Arts and Letters or Science and Technology scored higher on critical thinking than students whose majors were in the Schools of Business or Education. Factors found to have no relationship to critical thinking were ethnicity, gender and classification.

This study aimed to evaluate the development process of Development and Learning course according to critical thinking based instruction in the Faculty of Commerce and Tourism Education at Gazi University by using Stufflebeam&rsquo / s Context, Input, Process, and Product evaluation model. Data were collected from various sources through qualitative and quantitative methods such as questionnaires, individual and focus group interviews, student journals, achievement test, and California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTDI). The context evaluation results showed that there were problems in the attainment of course objectives and in the application of the effective instructional strategies for learning and improving thinking skills. Thereupon, at the input evaluation stage, the course was redesigned according to critical thinking based instruction. Pretest-posttest experimental study was carried out while implementing the redesigned course. Concerning the process evaluation, student journals pointed out that while critical thinking based instruction was effective on learning, thinking and metacognitive skills, students experienced some difficulties. Regarding the product evaluation, according to achievement pre-posttest and retention test results and CCTDI pre-posttest results, students in both groups showed a significant progress within a semester. However, there was no difference between treatment and control groups. On the other hand, in the focus groups interviews, the students from the treatment groups expressed the contributions of the course to their teaching and thinking skills, understanding and participation. In conclusion, though quantitative data addressed that critical thinking based instruction did not create difference compared to the traditional instruction, qualitative data delineated positive effects of this approach.

This research examined the critical thinking (CT) skills and conceptions of prospective teachers studying at Foreign Language Education Department at Middle East Technical University. In this way, the study intended to contribute to the field of curriculum and instruction by pointing to the currents status while constituting a basis for further actions in teacher education in terms CT. In this research, data analysis was carried out through both quantitative and qualitative analysis. A survey, including Student Information Form, and Watson and Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal- Form YM Turkish version were utilized for data gathering. Data were collected from 103 prospective teachers in the junior and senior level during the Spring Semester of 2007- 2008 Academic Year. Results demonstrated that the critical thinking (CT) levels of prospective teachers assessed by WGCTA are in medium level. In addition, WGCTA-YM cannot be predicted from reported regular reading activity, CGPA, and gender. Besides, results showed that, prospective teachers make rudiment or vague statements about critical thinking activities and do not point to a common instructional activity. In terms of critical thinking definitions, prospective teachers mostly perceive CT as a cognitive skill. Furthermore, there is a common sense view of CT rather than an understanding based on literature. The results revealed that prospective teachers are short of the essential CT skills and the CT comprehension to be able to raise individuals with CT ability. Therefore, curriculum renovation movements, projects, and research studies to improve critical thinking skills in teacher education should be developed and implemented.

For a number of years the educational community has recognized the importance of teaching critical thinking skills to all students; however, a shift in educational pedagogy and philosophy has occurred. Through recent legislation the funding of educational institutions that demonstrate competencies and gains from standardized test scores has been mandated. Although performance measurement regarding the effectiveness of learning environments is useful, students must learn critical thinking skills to compete globally, problem solve effectively, self-actualize, preserve democracy, and promote human rights. The relationship between content and critical thinking presents a unique challenge in American education. This study examined the shift in focus from critical thinking to standards-based assessment in American education and focused on data garnered and analyzed from The California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST). The purpose of this study was to determine if there were differences in the 5 dimensions of critical thinking based on colleges and gender based upon 1,455 graduating seniors for the 2009-2010 academic year on the (CCTST). This study used descriptive and inferential statistics to analyze data. In this quantitative study, data from the (CCTST) were gathered and distributed to the researcher for compilation and statistical analysis. Findings from this study indicate that gender and major college of study significantly influence the means on the dimensions of the CCTST. This study provides information regarding critical thinking skills in a higher education setting and is useful for higher education practitioners in facilitating the development of critical thinking skills. The results of this study add to the body of knowledge regarding critical thinking.

This study aims to find out how a selection of upper-secondary Swedish teachers engage their ESL students in critical self-reflection, as well as what their motivations behind these choices are. Specifically, this study aims to provide support for the hypothesis that teachers actively avoid social learning in correlation with critical self-reflection. Through an interview process and analysis, it was found that the interviewed teachers did, in fact, actively avoid social methods and activities when teaching critical self-reflection, due to a variety of reasons. The main motivations behind opting for solitary or individual critical self-reflections were age, group dynamics, student dispositions, and language proficiency.

Introduction Saudi Arabia is the largest country in the Middle East occupying the majority of the Arabia Peninsula. In 1934 the exploration of oil propelled this country from one of the poorest to one of the highest in per capita income. Islamic law forms the basis of Saudi Arabia's constitution, its civil and penal codes and guides the Saudis in their daily and family lifestyles, governing morals, dress, eating habits and business dealings. Between 1970 and 1980, there was a sharp increase in the rate of population. Currently the population is estimated at 20.8 million with a projected increase to 44.8 million by the year 2025, with approximately 49% under the age of 20. This rise in population has implications for the health care industry, of which expatriates make up more that 85% of the country's health care system. Purpose The purpose of the study was to examine the social and cultural experiences associated with living and working as a registered nurse in a major teaching hospital in Saudi Arabia and to identify and understand how to develop critical thinking skills in Saudi nurses during a nursing education/intervention program in Saudi Arabia. Methodology The researcher reviewed the literature on critical thinking, which allowed the construction of a conceptual model (Appendix 1) to guide teaching and evaluation of critical thinking skills and maintained the focus on dialogue to stimulate interaction and participation in order to promote critical thinking abilities in Saudi nurses. This study adopted ethnography as a methodology and utilised Spradley's (1979)ethnographic research cyclical tasks for data collection and analysis, which are explained in the exploratory, descriptive and explanatory phases of the research. The researcher was a participant observer and collected ethnographic data in the social situation. A variety of data collection methods were employed, which included observation of students and clinical instructors, evaluation of clinical instructors teaching techniques in utilising critical thinking strategies, evaluation of students' responses in the use of critical thinking strategies, focus group interviews of students and clinical instructors and informal interviews conducted within the hospital setting with relevant informants. The use of multi-methods provided the opportunity to examine more fully the richness and complexities of the culture, by gathering data from various sources to validate the consistency of information to reflect the multiple realities of this cultural group. Cultural domains were identified after examining field notes and interviews for terms and clues repeatedly verbalised by informants, in particular students. The researcher organised the domains to formulate taxonomies, leading to cultural themes, which are answered within the research questions in Chapter 8. The research questions for this study are as follows: Research questions 1. What are the issues related to the implementation of critical thinking in a Professional Development Program to improve critical thinking in Saudi nurses? 2. What major elements are involved in creating and sustaining the Saudi Arabian nursing profession? 3. How might Saudi culture be used to support the development of professional nursing identity? Implications for the study This study has the potential to make a significant contribution to nursing education in Saudi Arabia in promoting critical thinking in nurses and in curriculum development for the following reasons. First, didactic instruction was replaced with an interactive approach by utilising critical thinking strategies and devices to facilitate the development of critical thinking abilities. Second, working with a conceptual framework or model made it easier to manage complex multifaceted concepts, such as critical thinking. The model maintained the focus on dialogue and experiential learning thereby assisting students and staff to integrate theory and practice. This model was effective for the program and if duplicated by other programs, could create a learning environment that would allow the effective development and evaluation of critical thinking. The model is reflected in Appendix 1. Recommendations for the nursing profession in Saudi Arabia * To establish the Nursing Practice Act which subsequently leads to the formation of a National Nursing Registration Board. * To transfer nursing into the higher education sectors, to be on par with their Western counterparts. To foster career incentives for men to meet the cultural needs of the people, increase Saudi nurses in the workforce and to raise the image of nursing. * To enact Saudiisation policy. * To incorporate Islamic nursing history into diploma nursing and other nursing educational programs and implemented into the workplace, government policy and the media. * To construct separate male and female hospitals to solve the gender issues. * To systematically collect, collate and analyse nursing data. * To develop continuing education programs to meet educational needs of nurses.

The purpose of the research reported here was to determine the impact learning the engineering design process (EDP) would have on the critical thinking skills of high school physics students. An EDP unit was conducted with 5 classes of high school physics students in grades 10-12 over 1 month. The EDP unit's curriculum allowed for the gradual release of responsibility as students became more familiar with the EDP and more consistent in using it. The six steps used in this EDP unit were Ask, Imagine, Plan, Create, Test, and Improve. The Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal was given as a pre- and post-test to measure the growth in critical thinking skills. By measured standards, qualitative analysis and observation, students showed an increase in critical thinking skills and in confidence to use them.