Pensamento Crítico (PC) compreende os processos mentais que as pessoas põem em ação para tomar decisões e resolver problemas. A importância das habilidades de PC para a prática do cuidado em enfermagem está bem documentada na literatura nacional e internacional, entretanto o entendimento de quais são essas habilidades e de das estratégias para seu desenvolvimento no ensino superior em enfermagem ainda é incipiente. O objetivo deste trabalho foi identificar e analisar as estratégias utilizadas no ensino do PC nos cursos de graduação em enfermagem de acordo com a sua presença na literatura científica, no período de 2012 a 2016. Trata-se de uma pesquisa exploratória descritiva, baseada na Revisão Integrativa da Literatura. Realizou-se uma busca nas bases de dados CINAHL, LILACS, PubMed, Web of Science, ERIC ProQuest. A amostra constituiu-se de 20 artigos e a análise permitiu identificar as estratégias: mapa conceitual, método ou estudo de caso, simulação, jogos, método de questionamento e respostas, redação reflexiva, composições de canções, escrita de poesias, role-play, tempestade de ideias, discussão em grupo, apresentação de plano de cuidados em enfermagem, ambiente de aprendizagem web móvel e e-learning: história em quadrinhos, utilizadas para desenvolver as habilidades de PC. Os resultados apontam que a perspectiva filosófica de PC mais ligada ao desenvolvimento do raciocínio lógico é hegemônica no ensino superior em enfermagem. Além disso, o entendimento sobre o que é PC e suas habilidades especificas para a pratica do cuidado em enfermagem ainda carece de certo consenso, pois a maioria dos estudos identificados não explicitaram quais habilidades de PC que buscavam desenvolver através das estratégias de ensino propostas, ao passo que foram utilizados instrumentos de avaliação específicos para PC, o que pode trazer implicações negativas para o processo de ensino-aprendizagem / Critical Thinking (CT) comprises the mental processes that people put into action to make decisions and solve problems. The importance of CT skills for the practice of nursing care is well documented in the national and international literature, however the understanding of what these skills and the strategies for their development in nursing higher education are still incipient. The objective of this study was to identify and analyze the strategies used in teaching the CT in undergraduate nursing courses according to their presence in the scientific literature, from 2012 to 2016. This is an exploratory descriptive research based on the Review Integrative of Literature. We searched the databases CINAHL, LILACS, PubMed, Web of Science, ERIC ProQuest. The sample consisted of 20 articles and the analysis allowed to identify the strategies: conceptual map, method or case study, simulation, games, method of questioning and answers, reflexive writing, song compositions, poetry writing, role play, Brainstorming, group discussion, nursing care plan presentation, mobile web learning environment and e-learning: comics used to develop CT skills. The results point out that the philosophical perspective of CT more related to the development of logical reasoning is hegemonic in higher education in nursing. Furthermore, the understanding of what CT is and its specific skills for nursing practice still lacks a certain consensus, since most of the studies identified did not explain what PC skills they sought to develop through the teaching strategies proposed, and that specific assessment tools for CT were used, which may have negative implications for the teaching-learning process

Thinking is what we do best. Our schools used to teach children to think. They don't any more. If you want to improve your critical thinking skills, read this short, fun, easy to read book. Hear yourself think -- Mind control -- New thoughts for old -- Garbage in, garbage out -- Good ideas -- Reading -- Ask the next question -- Sleep on it -- Lying, and other bad habits -- Angry thoughts -- Fallacies -- Advanced thinking -- Changing your mind. / https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu_books/1120/thumbnail.jpg

abstract: The purpose of this action research was to work with Brazilian trained educators in a Community of Practice (CoP) to explore how teachers collectively define and talk about critical thinking (CT). The research also examined how past teaching experiences shaped their attitudes toward emphasizing CT in teaching. In addition, the research studied how participation in a CoP focused on CT changed classroom planning. The study is grounded in Community of Practice and Social Constructivism. As an international school, this study examined related research conducted in Jordan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Pakistan. This qualitative action research was 12 weeks in length with six participants who were all from Brazil and worked at a private bilingual international secondary school. Participants completed an initial interview and final interview. They also completed online journals, which were assembled weekly for 45 minutes, and maximized their efforts constructing a unit plan utilizing the Understanding by Design method. The results of the study describe the teachers’ definition of critical thinking, and also present an understanding of how the CoP shaped their attitudes. This, in turn, resulted in members’ updated classroom planning, which was due to participation in the cohort. Further issues and credibility, contextualization, and transferability as well as researcher positionality were discussed. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Leadership and Innovation 2019

This dissertation explores the potential for higher education to promote the development of critical being among diverse students, including three studies that employ critical quantitative approaches. The first chapter proposes critical being as an alternative to critical thinking that better reflects the purposes of higher education for the public good. In Chapter Two, I create a survey-based instrument measuring critical being, including three factors that are theoretically grounded in the work of Barnett (1997) and Davies (2015). Chapter Three examines the relationship between specific instructional practices associated with academic challenge and four-year growth in critical being among three racial and/or ethnic groups traditionally underrepresented in higher education: Black and African American students, Asian and Pacific Islander students, and Hispanic, Latinx and Chicano students. Chapter Four focuses on college instructors, exploring the relationship of individual, academic, and organizational factors with instructors’ emphasis of critical being in the classroom and their beliefs about students’ abilities and efforts. Finally, Chapter Five returns to the necessity for higher education to center critical being in order to equip students to be well-informed agents of social change. By bringing together the results of the three studies, this chapter also considers the implications of higher education for critical being, offers self-reflection on the implementation of critical quantitative approaches, and looks forward in making recommendations for future research.

Critical Thinking has been identified in the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) as skills needed to prepare students for advanced education and the future workforce. In science education, argument-based inquiry (ABI) has been proposed as one way to improve critical thinking. The purpose of the current study was to examine the possible effects of the Science Writing Heuristic (SWH) approach, an immersion argument-based inquiry approach to learning science, on students' critical thinking skills. Guided by a question-claims-evidence structure, students who participated in SWH approach were required to negotiate meaning and construct arguments using writing as a tool throughout the scientific investigation process. Students in the control groups learned science in traditional classroom settings. Data from five data sets that included 4417 students were analyzed cross-sectionally and longitudinally. Yearly critical thinking gain scores, as measured by Form X of Cornell Critical Thinking Test, were compared for students who experienced the SWH approach versus students who experienced traditional instruction in both elementary (5th grade) and secondary schools (6th-8th grades). Analyses of yearly gain scores for data sets that represented a single year of implementation yielded statistically significant differences favoring SWH over traditional instruction in all instances and statistically significant interactions between gender and grade level in most instances. The interactions revealed that females had higher gain scores than males at lower grade levels but the reverse was true at higher grade levels. Analyses from data sets that included two years of implementation revealed higher overall gains for SWH instruction than for traditional instruction but most of those gains were achieved during the first year of implementation. Implications of these results for teaching critical thinking skills in science classrooms are discussed in detail.

This exploratory study examines the hypothesis that Socratic pedagogy is a useful tool for imparting critical thinking and moral reasoning skills to inmates. The study explores the effectiveness of a new curriculum, Introducing Socrates, which relies on Socratic pedagogy to achieve its objectives. The curriculum draws from the effective criminal justice research on cognitive education to determine its objectives, and then looks to the Platonic dialogues to find broad philosophical questions that tie into those objectives. The program also evaluates salient criticisms of Socratic pedagogy that are found in the educational and philosophical literature, and then isolates and evaluates constructs from these criticisms in the study.

A common criticism of U.S. citizens today, whether as voters or students or workers, is that they are "lazy and apathetic". It is important to explore the validity of this criticism. This thesis begins with the premise that there are two prerequisites for citizenship in a democracy: (1) that citizens be willing to participate and (2) that citizens are able to participate. The purpose of this research is to examine a particular set of perspectives regarding social conditions which consistently impact the two aforementioned prerequisites. This examination addresses social conditions that undermine a person's ability to participate meaningfully and it addresses perspectives on alternative social conditions which support personal action. Included in this set of perspectives are relevant concepts and ideas derived from Socrates, John Locke, Karl Marx, Anthony Giddens, and Michael Lerner. These prominent thinkers provide likely, but not exclusive examples of how certain themes commonly emerge regarding social conditions and their relationship to communication. Each of these sources, in different ways and to different degrees, demonstrates how social conditions commonly encourage ideology that can undermine personal action. Additionally, each theorist indicates the need for dialogue and critical thinking to penetrate these social conditions and ideologies, thus providing the keys to encouraging personal action. Once established, the potential for dialogue and critical thinking is discussed with regard to several important social arenas and systems of American culture: mass media, education, the workplace, and government. The true test of whether or not Americans are willing to participate depends upon the nature and extent of their ability to participate. As the promotion of dialogue and critical thinking is necessary to assure the second, an exploration of these capacities is necessary to begin assessing the first.

Research about retention of nursing students has focused on either specific student characteristics or on nursing students at the university level. A problem experienced by a community college nursing program in Maryland is low completion rates, which can affect the institution and the nursing profession. This qualitative case study explored faculty-related factors leading to success of students in the nursing program at this school, so the low completion rate can be addressed. The conceptual foundations for this study were Tinto's theory of student retention and Jeffreys' nursing undergraduate retention and success model. The research questions addressed how faculty-related factors affected students' success in the nursing program. The study was conducted with 9 second year nursing students and 7 nursing faculty providing information through face to face interviews at a community college in central Maryland. Data analysis was conducted using inductive processes to code, identify, and analyze the themes. The findings of this case study suggested that students can benefit from improving their critical thinking abilities. The findings of this case study also suggested that faculty affect students' critical thinking abilities when faculty are approachable, provide a nurturing environment, and are helpful to students. A professional development workshop for nursing faculty and staff was developed based on the findings from these study results. This workshop will provide guidance to faculty and staff on strategies to assist student with improving critical thinking abilities. Implications for positive social change include addressing the nursing shortage by increasing the number of qualified nursing students from this program, understanding the perspectives of nursing students, and helping to meet the needs of nursing students.

The push to generate professional nurses has raised questions about the competency level of the novice nurses that are entering the workforce. Utilization of simulation laboratories is being viewed as an option for bridging the gap for the shortage of nurses, nurse educators, and clinical sites. The theory of goal attainment was used to guide this project, which aimed to develop and validate an ER simulation scenario that mimics a clinical setting as a tool for measuring nursing skills. An additional purpose, to be accomplished after graduation, will be to implement a pilot project to determine the impact of the validated simulation scenario within the nursing skills laboratories on the quality of care provided by novice nurses to patients. The validation of the ER simulation scenario was completed by having 10 local experts review the developed ER simulation scenario. The experts then completed a 5-question Likert-type scale survey. Descriptive analysis was used to evaluate the results of the survey and validate the simulation scenario tool. Results revealed that all experts strongly agreed that the ER scenario was visually appealing and had enough subject content. Most experts strongly agreed that it was easy to read and follow. Post-graduation and with the assistance of the education organization, the second part of this proposal will occur with a pilot study implementation. The significance of this project to the nursing practice is to utilize simulation as a bridge to real life practice settings. This project may contribute to the American Nurses Association Standards of best practice which works to improve patient safety as well as quality nursing care.

Many entry-level nurses are not prepared to handle medical emergencies. Although responsible for managing the care of individuals with complex medical conditions, many of these nurses compromise the safety of patients due to a lack of experience and an inability to apply clinical judgment. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of registered nurses about their transition from entry-level to advanced beginner. Bandura's social cognitive theory, along with Colaizzi's descriptive method of data analysis, provided a basis for this phenomenological study. Research questions focused on challenges that entry-level nurses have experienced with problem-solving and complex patient care that requires advanced critical thinking and the application of clinical judgment. Criterion sampling facilitated recruitment of advanced-beginner RNs, with data collected through semistructured, one-on-one interviews. Data analysis occurred in a series of steps, including extracting and developing meanings from interview transcripts, clustering meanings into description lists, and eliminating outliers. Data analysis revealed 12 major themes aligned with behavior, clinical environment, and personal/cognitive factors. Among the findings were that nurses often felt unsupported, unable to manage conflict, unprepared, unseasoned, inefficient, and unable to lead others effectively. This study was necessary because its findings may provide insights leaders in health services can use to develop strategies to better prepare entry-level nurses to care for individuals with complex medical conditions. Among the implications for positive social change are developing a better tool for the training and advancement of entry-level nurses, consequently improving patient safety and reducing health care costs.