Nursing schools today are bound by accreditation agencies to produce graduate nurses who can think critically. Clinical instructors play the dominant role in transitioning students from the didactic experience to the clinical experience. The clinical experience is where students practice higher levels of thinking under the supervision and guidance of a clinical instructor in order to arrive at safe patient care decisions. Regardless of the teaching method used to develop critical thinking skills, it is the underlying questioning skill of the instructor that facilitates the growth of critical thinking (Giddings, Dyson, Entwistle, Macdiarmid, Marshall, & Simpson, 2000; Hermiz, 2001, p. 183; Myrick & Yonge, 2002).The purpose of the descriptive study was fourfold: (a) to examine the cognitive characteristics of questions asked by clinical nurse faculty of baccalaureate nursing students, (b) to examine faculty perceptions of the questions being asked in the clinical setting, (c) to examine the questions asked under the categories posed by Myrick and Yonge (2002) of theoretical knowledge, clinical decision-making and action in an effort to determine if systematic questioning is occurring that moves students from theoretical knowledge through to nursing action, and (d) to compare faculty perceptions of the questions asked. Questions were examined for level and type as defined by Craig and Paige (1981); and context in which the question was posed utilizing the guidelines posed by Myrick and Yonge (2002) as theoretical knowledge, clinical decision-making and action. The academic and professional characteristics of clinical faculty were captured utilizing a demographic survey.Findings mirror that of previous research. Clinical faculty continue to ask low cognitive level questions of baccalaureate nursing students. Approximately 71.8% of the questions represented the categories of knowledge, comprehension and application. In addition, over 21% of the questions posed fell into the category of "other" representing questions that were primarily yes/no, and information seeking type questions When looking at sequencing of questions, again, primarily the questions fell into the theoretical knowledge category, and did not move the student through to the evaluation of nursing care. / Department of Educational Studies
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BSU/oai:cardinalscholar.bsu.edu:handle/177228 |
| Date | January 2008 |
| Creators | Katterheinrich, Michelle K. |
| Contributors | Armstrong, Joseph L. |
| Source Sets | Ball State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Format | viii, 161 leaves ; 28 cm. |
| Source | Virtual Press |
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