Critical-thinking is an essential skill that graduate nurses need to make sound clinical decisions. While traditional lecturing is the method most commonly used in nursing education, incorporating problem-based learning (PBL) into nursing curricula has been suggested as a better option for students' learning of theory and practice. The purpose of this study was to explore the difference in critical-thinking and problem-solving skills between nursing students taught using PBL versus those taught with traditional classroom lectures. A quasi-experimental approach, with cognitive learning theory as the foundation, was used to compare the results of an Assessment Technologies Institute (ATI) Comprehensive Predictor posttest in the control group, taught using the traditional learning method, and the experimental group, taught using PBL. Two-way ANOVA was used to analyze the effect of 2 independent variables: archived ATI Fundamentals Nurse exam proxy pretest scores, divided into low and high groups, and control or experimental group assignment, on the posttest scores of 192 nursing students at the study site. The results of the study showed that the main effect of the treatment, PBL vs. non-PBL, was significant, F(1, 191) = 116.77, p < .001, and the main effect for pretest groups was significant, F(1, 191) = 121.79, p < .001. The interaction effect was also significant, F(1, 191) = 8.04, p = .005, indicating that the effect of PBL was greater for nursing students in the low pretest group. The results of this study provide the premise for recommendations for nurse educators regarding the use of alternative teaching methods. The study may promote social change by providing preliminary research results to the local site that may contribute to improving the quality of nurse education.

Background: Prelicensure nursing programs prepare generalists with essential knowledge, skills, and attitudes to practice in complex health care environments. Nurse educators determine which teaching strategies will best prepare the nurse generalist. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a teaching plan that combined the strategies of pretest/posttest, classroom activities, and a problem-based learning activity: a clinical immersion experience. The skill of "teach-back" was taught and evaluated. Theoretical framework: Two theories guided the teaching plan for this research. Adult learning theory (Knowles, 1975, 1980, 2012) addressed how and why adults learn, and social cognitive theory (Bandura, 1977, 1986) described teaching strategies that assisted the adult learner to gain knowledge. Methods: A non-experimental design divided consenting participants were into intervention (n = 21) and control groups (n = 11). The Health Literacy Knowledge and Experience Survey (Cormier, 2006) was used to pretest/posttest for attainment of knowledge related to teach-back. The Communication Assessment Tool (Makoul, Krupat, & Chang, 2007) was used by standardized patients to evaluate the participants' ability to perform a teach-back. Results: The results of this study provided evidence that posttest scores improved for both intervention and control groups (n = 32). Twenty-seven participants performed a teach-back with evaluation. The results did not indicate a significant difference between groups in performing the skill of teach-back. Conclusion: There was little difference in posttest scores for groups and participants' ability to perform a teach-back, indicating that both groups gained knowledge and skill from the teaching strategies.

Student engagement is a topic of interest among teachers and school leaders. In an era of high-stakes testing and a push to make students prepared for the workforce, teachers are finding ways to increase their student’s level of engagement. One method to increase student engagement is to use community partnerships to help enhance classroom instruction. This can be accomplished through work-based learning, problem-based learning, civic engagement, or service learning. While much research has been conducted on what public schools are doing with community partnerships and student engagement, little research has been conducted on faith-based schools. The goal of this study is to utilize the case study approach on two faith-based schools and see how they are using their community partnerships and whether these are improving student engagement or not. More specifically, this study looks to study the relationship between voluntary and compulsory course and/or program requirements in these schools and how teachers explain the role of their administration in such learning experiences. / Policy, Organizational and Leadership Studies

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This qualitative research study examines the holistic experience of secondary classroom teachers who are changing their predominant instructional technique from a mostly traditional teaching method to a student-centered, problem-based approach to curriculum delivery. Using field notes, interviews, focus groups, observations of classrooms and faculty meetings and related document study in conjunction with, and as driven by, simultaneous analysis, the researcher inquired about the nature of implementing change in instructional delivery and those influences that both help and hinder the process. Data revealed four categories with related findings: practices of changing instructional delivery, a teacher focus on students, elements of working within a culture of change, and the personal experience of implementing a change in instructional delivery.

There is much debate on the best way to educate students on how to generate hypotheses to enhance clinical reasoning in nursing education. To increase opportunities for nursing programs to promote the discovery of accurate and broad-level hypotheses, scholars recommend abductive reasoning which offers an alternative approach to hypothetico-deductive reasoning. This study explored the effects of abductive reasoning training on hypothesis generation abilities (accuracy, expertise, breadth) of first and second year baccalaureate nursing students in a problem-based learning curriculum. A quasi-experiment with 64 participants (29 control, 35 experimental) was conducted. Based on their allocation, study participants either took part in abductive reasoning training or informal group discussion. Three different test questionnaires, each with a unique care scenario, were used to assess participants’ hypothesis generation abilities at baseline, immediate post-test and one-week follow-up. Content validity for care scenarios and other study materials was obtained from content academic experts. Compared to control participants, experimental participants showed significant improvements at follow-up on hypothesis accuracy (p=0.05), expertise (p=0.006), and breadth (p=0.003). While control participants’ hypotheses displayed a superficial understanding of care situations, experimental participants’ hypotheses reflected increased accuracy, expertise and breadth. This study shows that abductive reasoning, as a scaffolding teaching and learning strategy, can allow nursing students to discover underlying salient patterns in order to better understand and explain the complex realities of care situations. Educating nursing students in abductive reasoning could enable them to adapt existing competencies when trying to accurately and holistically understand newer complex care situations. This could lead to a more holistic, person-based approach to care which will allow nursing students to see various health-related issues as integrated rather than separate. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / This study explored the effects of a training program on hypothesis generation abilities of nursing students. The training program aimed to teach students how to think more broadly about care situations. Student’s hypothesis generation abilities were measured through the use of three care scenarios, each of which was presented before, immediately after and one-week after the training program. Only first and second year nursing students were included in the study. About half of the students were provided with the training while the other half were provided with informal discussion about hypothesis generation. After one-week, it was discovered that students who received the training had improved significantly in their ability to generate broad hypotheses. These students also generated hypotheses that were more accurate than the other group of students who did not receive the training. Due to the training, students’ abilities in discovering the important aspects of the care situation also improved.

Each of these four units use the exemplar texts outlined by CCSS and highlight four different genres in Literature: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, and Drama.; The purpose of this project design Problem- Based Learning (PBL) Units that would meet the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for a 9/10 grade English Language Arts (ELA) classroom. The CCSS, newly adopted into Florida public schools, were created to provide students with the skills necessary to be successful in both higher education and ultimately, the global economy. PBL has been practiced in some of the country's leading medical schools for decades, and recently, has begun to play a leading role in designing math and science curricula. Until now, few attempts have been made incorporating the structures of Problem- Based Learning into the secondary English Language Arts classroom. My intention in tapping PBL was to utilize a tool that would foster critical thinking skills and create real world relevance in the curriculum for my future ELA students. With the ever increasing shift into a more inquiry- based teaching approach in today's schools, these units will not only meet the CCSS, but they will provide real world application in both research and collaborative learning. PBL utilizes an "ill-structured scenario" that provides the student with a role that gives them ownership into solving a problem (Lambros, 2004). In order to create these scenarios, I examined the 9/10 Grade exemplars offered throughout the CCSS. I then used the CCSS to identify which standards would be met by each unit. I also evaluated the Brevard County District calendar to identify the constraints on time that a teacher might typically encounter in the classroom. The result is four PBL units that meet the CCSS for Grade 9/10 English Language Arts. I developed these units with the idea that they would be the main methods of instruction in an ELA classroom and therefore provided time frames for each unit to be completed. The time frames account for research, project completion and presentation.

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of problem-based learning, blended problem-based learning, and traditional lecture teaching methods on students’ academic achievement and self-regulation. Specifically, student’s motivation orientation, use of learning strategies, and critical thinking dispositions were assessed. The research design for this study was a quasi-experimental pretest/posttest design. There were 90 undergraduate education majors who participated in the study. There were 29 students who participated in the problem-based learning group, 30 students participated in the blended problem based learning group, 31 students participated in the traditional group. Convenience sampling was used for this study. The findings in this study indicated that the students who were taught via the blended problem based learning teaching methodology scored significantly higher on the comprehensive exam for academic achievement and subcategories of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire than the problem based learning and the traditional lecture group. There were no significant differences between groups for critical thinking dispositions on the California Critical Thinking Dispositions Inventory. Overall, the blended problem based learning teaching methodology did have a significantly positive impact on students’ academic achievement and self-regulation skills.

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