| The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between assessment of critical thinking as admission criteria as a predictor of success in the completion of an associate degree respiratory care program. The research site was a community college located in the southern United States. The sample included 176 students who completed Health Sciences Reasoning Test (HSRT) as an admission criterion and were enrolled in the associate degree respiratory care program at the research site. Binary logistic regression models and univariate general linear regression models were completed to examine direct associations of select theoretically relevant variables as predictors of success. Direct associations tested in this study included critical thinking assessment at admission, along with student background information (age, gender, ethnicity, and admission GPA) were tested in various models, in relationship to successful completion (graduation status and final GPA) of an associate degree respiratory care program. Results indicated that the critical thinking assessment tool and strong academic standing are indicators to successful completion of the associate degree respiratory care program. Student background information (age, gender and ethnicity) was found to not indicate successful completion of the associate degree respiratory care program. Discussion focused on the use of critical thinking assessment as admission criterion, identifying other predictors of success, and possibilities for methodological replication. |
