| Objectives: To examine the critical thinking ability of junior college nursing students and the main problems they focused on during practice period; To explore the effects of cultivation of critical thinking ability for nursing students through Internet knowledge forum. That is, to search for a feasible way to cultivate critical thinking ability for junior college nursing students using the contemporary Internet technology.Methods: A quazi-experimental study design was used in this study. One hundred and fifty-four junior college nursing students from Yichun university, Yichun vocational technical college and Xinyu junior college participated in this study voluntarily. They were randomly allocated into the experimental group and the control one. All students were required to fill the Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory at the beginning and the end of the experimentation. Besides the routine hospital practice training, the nursing students from the experimental group received the comprehensive training for half a year except for hospital practice task during practice period. The major sector of the comprehensive training was the Internet knowledge forum. While the nursing students from the control group only received routine hospital practice training.The multimedia methods of the comprehensive training for the experimental group included knowledge forum, e-mail, Tengxun QQ . Using the above methods, the students were asked to participate the following activities:①To write clinical practice cases.②To discuss the cases with supervisors and companions anonymously via the nursing knowledge forum.③To search for the theoretical basis supporting their own views in the loading area of study materials.④To raise questions to peers when discussing those cases in the forum.⑤To write reflective thinking diaries after discussion.The main processes of establishing the knowledge forum on website and activities were as follows:①ASP technology (active server page technology)was used when establishing the forum.②Reviewing literatures and taking counsel with trainees in hospitals,nursing educators and Internet expert to confirm the areas of the forum.③Instructing the nursing students from the experimental group to log in the forum and participate in clinical cases discussion by on-the-spot instruction and Tengxun QQ on-line instruction.Using Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory Questionnaire in Chinese version which was translated and edited by Peng Meici to evaluate the nursing students' critical thinking ability at the beginning and the end of the experimentation. The first round questionnaires were turned in immediately after the nursing students completed them with on-site instruction; and the nursing students completed the second round questionnaires with on-line instructions via Tengxun QQ. The second round questionnaires were returned to the researcher by the student leaders of the practice group in all training hospitals. The scores of the two tests were statistical analyzed. The statistical methods applied in this study included mean, standard deviation, constitutive ratio,one-sample t-test, two-sample t-test, Chi-square test and repeated measurement ANOVA.Results:1.The total score of critical thinking ability of nursing students was 218.33±17.46. The sub-scales in the order of scores were listed as follows: Truth-seeking, 32.95±5.35; Open-mindedness, 32.93±5.36; Analyticity, 31.01±5.88; Systimaticity, 32.98±5.36; Critical thinking self-confidence, 37.96±6.38; Inquisitiveness, 26.94±4.92; Cognitive maturity, 29.56±6.38.2. There was a significant difference between the first and second test total scores of the critical thinking ability in the nursing students of two groups (P<0.05) . In other words, the nursing students' critical thinking ability was improved over time; The interaction function existed between testing time and different groups (P<0.05) . That is to say, the range of changing in critical thinking ability was not the same between the two groups. The former improved higher than the latter; If the influence of time was not considered, there was difference between the experimental group and the control one (P<0.05),which was caused by the intervention. That is to say, the comprehensive training can develop the nursing students' critical thinking ability.3. In Internet nursing forum, the most common areas of messages sent and discussed by the nursing students from the experimental group were listed as the following order: relationship between teacher and student, relationship between nurse and patient, vocational prevention, clinical decision, moral and ethical problem, and nursing skills, with a percentage of 27.88%, 26.42%, 16.85%, 11.93%, 8.88%, and 8.04% respectively.Conclusions:1.The critical thinking ability of nursing students was below the positive level (<280).2. The critical thinking ability of nursing students improved over time. That is to say, nurses' critical thinking ability would be fostered through clinical practice. But there was difference between the experimental group and the control group students, the former was improved greater than the latter. So the comprehensive training measures with the Internet knowledge forum of nursing cases applied in this study can improve the students' critical thinking ability.3.During the nursing practice period, the main problems which the junior college nursing students focused on stemed from the relationship between teacher and student, the relationship between nurse and patient ,and vocational prevention.4. The status of relatively low level of the students' critical thinking ability should be emphasized by nursing educators, and effective teaching measures should be taken to foster the critical thinking ability of nursing students of junior colleges.
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