Examining the effects of problem-based learning on the critical thinking skills of associate degree nursing students in a Southeastern community college

Fostering critical thinking ability in nursing students has become one of the most imperative tasks for nursing education. Over the past ten years, critical thinking became a required learning outcome for national accreditation of nursing education programs, yet there is still lack of consensus in regard to what critical thinking is in nursing, and very little formal research has been done to determine which teaching methodologies improve critical thinking in nursing students. Teaching methodologies used to promote critical thinking needs to be investigated to enhance the delivery of safe and effective care to improve student success on the NCLEX-RN Exam.;The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of problem-based learning methodology on the critical thinking skills of associate degree nursing students enrolled in a 12-week NCLEX-Review Course at a rural community college. The study sought to determine if the problem-based learning methodology would improve the critical thinking skills as measured by the mean critical thinking skill composite score on the Assessment Technologies Institute Critical Thinking Test. Second, the study also sought to determine the effects of the problem-based learning methodology on the NCLEX-RN Exam. The NCLEX scores of both treatment and control groups were compared to determine this effect.;A quasi-experimental pre-post treatment comparative design was utilized to determine the effects of the two teaching methods on the critical thinking skills of fourth semester associate degree nursing students enrolled in an NCLEX-Review Course. Logistic Regression, Analyses of Covariance and Chi-Square were used to analyze the data. Analyses of Covariance (using the pretreatment scores as the covariates) between the groups were conducted on all post-treatment data.;Fifty-four associate degree nursing students enrolled in an NCLEX-Review Course volunteered to participate in the study. The participants were randomly divided into two groups: treatment and control.;The logistic regression revealed that teaching method and Mean Post ATI Critical Thinking Assessment were not statistically significant predictors for success on the NCLEX-RN (p < .05). The ANCOVA revealed no significant difference (p < .05) between groups on the composite post-treatment ATI Critical Thinking Assessment. Chi-Square also revealed no significance in NCLEX-RN scores for both groups. It was concluded that neither intervention, at the level-intensity administered in the study, was particularly effective in changing the post critical thinking score or the NCLEX-RN pass rate. Further research is needed to investigate the efficacy of using problem-based learning as an instructional strategy to improve critical thinking skills in nursing students.