A, B, or C? A Quasi-experimental Multi-site Study Investigating Three Option Multiple Choice Questions.

There is nearly a century of educational research that has demonstrated that three option multiple-choice questions (MCQs) are as valid and reliable as four or five option, yet this format continues to be underutilized in educational institutions. This replication study was a quasi-experimental between groups research design conducted at three Canadian schools of nursing to examine the psychometric properties of three option MCQs when compared to the more traditional four option questions. Data analysis revealed that there were no statistically significant differences in the item discrimination, difficulty or mean examination scores when MCQs were administered with three versus four option answer choices.

Theoretical frameworks and instruments for evaluation of critical thinking in nursing and education. / Referenciais teóricos e instrumentos para avaliação do pensamento crítico na enfermagem e na educação.

OBJECTIVE: To identify theoretical frameworks and instruments for the evaluation of critical thinking to base studies in nursing and education. METHOD: Integrative review, with a selection of scientific articles in Portuguese, English and Spanish, in the LILACS, SCIELO, IBECS, MEDLINE/PubMed and SCOPUS databases, using the descriptors "thought", "teaching" and "nursing" in Portuguese and English. The search resulted in 3,147 articles, and 23 papers published between 2010 and 2015 were selected. RESULTS: Fourteen (60.2%) studies used the Facione framework and eight (34.4%) resorted to different critical thinking assessment tools applied in nursing and education. CONCLUSIONS: Most studies used the Facione framework. Among the evaluation tools, the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) and the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal stood out as the most common instruments; both focus on cognitive skills in critical thinking.

The influence of teaching method on performance of suicide assessment in baccalaureate nursing students.

BACKGROUND: Student nurses identify many barriers to assessing patients' risk for suicide. OBJECTIVE: This pilot study developed and tested an innovative active learning strategy using simulated standardized patients to determine its effectiveness in teaching suicide assessment skills to a sample of 34 junior and senior baccalaureate nursing students. DESIGN: This study employed an experimental, two-group posttest design and three National League for Nursing/Laerdal Simulation Evaluation instruments. After reading about suicide assessment, the experimental group was exposed to a simulated standardized patient portraying a suicidal patient. The control group received a recorded lecture on suicide assessment. RESULTS: The experimental group demonstrated a significant difference in student scores of self-confidence, satisfaction, and student perceptions of the educational practices (active learning, collaboration, and appeal to diverse learning styles) when compared to the lecture format. CONCLUSION: Suicide assessment is a critical assessment skill set that can be effectively taught to nursing students using standardized patients.

[Scientific research in nursing education: Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais research groups]. / Produção científica em educação em enfermagem: grupos de pesquisa Rio de Janeiro e Minas Gerais.

This study aims to characterize the scientific production of the Research Groups in Nursing Education (RGNE) of the states of Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais, in Brazil. This is a documentary quantitative descriptive retrospective research, conducted by searching the CVs of all researchers who are part of the RGNEs in the Lattes database, followed by the search, organization, and evaluation of their scientific production according to Qualis/CAPES. The period studied was from 1995 to 2009 (the last five CAPES triennia) and included articles, books, book chapters, and full papers in conference proceedings. Results show that Rio de Janeiro has the higher number of articles in Nursing Education, highlighting the qualification of researchers at doctorate level. Both states present historic and socio-economic factors that favor scientific development.

Reliability.

A cursory look at the measurement practices in the Journal of Nursing Education revealed several deficits that our community is encouraged to address. In 2020, a little less than half of our quantitative studies did not provide reliability estimates from their own data, opting instead to provide estimates reported in the literature or none at all. Of the studies that did supply estimates using their data, only Cronbach's alpha was reported. Unfortunately, limitations with Cronbach's alpha and inconsistent reporting practices are likely undermining the science of nursing education. Researchers are encouraged to estimate reliability using their own data with increasingly valid techniques. [J Nurs Educ. 2021;60(2):65-66.].

A Bayesian Approach to Gateway Course Identification With Implications for the Prenursing Curriculum.

BACKGROUND: Analysis of student performance in gateway courses has been an important predictor of successful admission into upper-division nursing. PURPOSE: The aim was to explore the utility of a Bayesian statistical framework for determining threshold grades in prenursing courses that serve as gateways for successful admission into upper-division nursing programs. METHODS: Records of 3500 prenursing students who entered the prenursing program of a midsized public university during the past decade were analyzed. The Bayesian framework was used to incorporate conditional probabilistic concepts of sensitivity and specificity to calculate gateway impact of various grade level cutoffs on successful upper-division nursing admission. RESULTS: Identification, sequencing, and combination of grades attained in these gateway courses revealed different pathways to successful admission into upper-division nursing based on first-semester grade point average and ethnicity. CONCLUSIONS: Identification of primary/secondary gateway courses enhances successful matriculation and provides valuable information for advisors and curriculum planners for prenursing majors.

Strategies to Teach the National Council of State Boards of Nursing Clinical Judgment Model.

BACKGROUND: There is a growing concern that novice nurses who achieve licensure do not have the clinical judgment to practice safely. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) began the Next Generation NCLEX (NGN) project to find methods to better assess entry-level competency. The NGN project is based on an integrative clinical judgment model (CJM) with 6 well-defined cognitive steps. PROBLEM: Teaching and assessing clinical judgment skills using the NCSBN-CJM will take faculty planning and commitment. APPROACH: Clinical scenarios can be used to teach clinical judgment. Using prompts, instructors can deliberately lead students through the steps of recognizing cues, analyzing cues, prioritizing hypothesis, generating solutions, taking action, and evaluating outcomes. CONCLUSION: Committing to integrating a CJM throughout the curriculum, using realistic clinical scenarios, and having students work through all the steps of a selected model are important ways educators can help students prepare for safe clinical practice.

Nursing Students' Attitudes Toward Nursing Education Research and Participation in Pedagogical Research.

BACKGROUND: Nursing students overall have positive attitudes toward research, but no studies have explored students' attitudes toward education research or pedagogical research participation. PURPOSE: The purposes of this study were to explore nursing students' attitudes toward research in general, education research, and participation as subjects in pedagogical research; describe the relationships among these attitudes; and identify associated factors. METHODS: A mixed-methods, descriptive, cross-sectional study design was used. RESULTS: Nursing students' (N = 195) attitudes about research in general, education research, and participation in pedagogical research were predominantly positive and directly correlated. Age was significantly associated with attitudes about education research and research participation, whereas program year was associated only with research participation. The most prevalent barrier to research participation was time. CONCLUSIONS: Findings provide valuable insight about nursing students' attitudes toward research that may be used to design protocols to enhance student participation in pedagogical research.

Assessment of COPD-Related Knowledge Among Internal Medicine Nurses: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Since most internal medicine nurses work with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients daily, their ability to meet the needs of COPD patients is an important issue. Our study aimed to assess COPD-related knowledge in internal medicine nurses. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study including 175 participants was conducted to investigate COPD-related knowledge levels among internal medicine nurses in a large top-ranked tertiary hospital in China. The Bristol COPD Knowledge Questionnaire (BCKQ) was used to test COPD-related knowledge levels in the participants. Results: Overall BCKQ score for all nurses in this study was 35.76 ± 5.49. In comparison with non-respiratory nurses, the overall score among respiratory nurses was significantly higher (39.01 ± 3.95 vs 33.32 ± 5.23, p < 0.001). The mean scores for four topics (epidemiology, breathlessness, oral steroids, and inhaled steroids) were less than 3 among both respiratory and non-respiratory nurses. Subgroup analysis of specialist respiratory wards showed that nurses in the chronic airway disease ward had the highest overall knowledge score (40.47 ± 4.03). Linear regression analysis demonstrated that the overall BCKQ score was significantly related to the population of nurses (ß coefficient = 3.016, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.953-5.079, p < 0.01), education (ß coefficient = 4.710, 95% CI: 1.979-7.440, p < 0.01) and previous rotation in respiratory wards (ß coefficient = 3.871, 95% CI: 1.776-5.967, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Internal medicine nurses at this tertiary hospital showed deficits in COPD-related knowledge. Appropriate and systematic education about COPD knowledge and strengthening rotation among different wards are necessary for improving COPD-related knowledge levels among internal medicine nurses.

Validation of a questionnaire designed to measure nursing student satisfaction with practical training.

OBJECTIVE: to validate an instrument designed to assess practical training and measure nursing student satisfaction with clinical practice modules. METHOD: cross-sectional study (academic year 2014-2015). Validation of the self-administered, anonymous, 17-item Nursing Student Satisfaction with Practical Training Questionnaire, developed by consensus by eight practical training experts in three nominal group sessions. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed to assess internal consistency and validity. Student satisfaction was measured in relation to each module and all modules as a whole. RESULTS: 174 responses. High item-test correlation (≥0.90); Cronbach's alpha = 0.91; Káiser-Meyer-Olkin index =0.86; the results of the Bartlett sphericity test were statistically significant (p<0.001); S-stress=0.17; R2=0.81. Exploratory factor analyses identified 4 factors: simulation, teacher tutoring, care facility selected for the placement, and clinician tutoring. Total explained variance was 66.6%. Confirmatory factor analysis obtained a chi-squared value of 285.275 (p= 0.000). Student satisfaction increases proportionately with each academic year. CONCLUSION: the questionnaire was shown to have good validity and is therefore a reliable instrument for measuring level of nursing student satisfaction with practical training in both clinical and simulated environments.

Eradicating Barriers to Advancement From RN to BSN: An Exploratory Study.

BACKGROUND: To improve the quality of patient care, the Institute of Medicine has called for eliminating barriers to academic progression for nurses. Despite this call, nurses who matriculate from institutions that lack national nursing-specific accreditation are denied admission to advanced degree programs. METHOD: Within an online RN-to-baccalaureate nursing (BSN) program, the performance of students who matriculated from institutions lacking discipline-specific accreditation was compared with student performance representative of programs holding discipline-specific accreditation. The bases for comparison were grade point average (GPA), on-time completion rate, and academic withdrawal. RESULTS: Students admitted from institutions lacking national nursing accreditation had a higher on-time completion rate and a lower GPA than comparison groups. Differences in GPA were statistically insignificant (p > .05). Evidence regarding withdrawals was insufficient for adequate comparisons. CONCLUSION: Admission policies that deny education opportunities to candidates from institutions lacking national nursing accreditation may create unwarranted barriers to educational advancement. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2019;50(1):15-19.].

Doctoral prepared nurses in Denmark and their scientific production between 1976 and 2005.

BACKGROUND: Nursing research in Denmark has evolved over the last 30 years. By 2005, 48 Danish nurses had earned a doctoral degree. The Danish Nurses Organization formalized a strategy for development of nursing research for the period 1999-2002. The strategy was evaluated in 2004. One point in the evaluation was that the nurses' publication of peer-reviewed articles in journals with an Impact Factor did not show in the bibliographic measure used in health sciences. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to identify the number of Danish nurses holding a doctoral degree by the end of 2005 and to document their scientific production. METHODS: A descriptive design based on a national register of all nurses in Denmark holding doctoral degrees was used to explore the curricula vitae and publication lists of 38 out of 48 (79%) nurses on the register. Authorship of all 48 graduated nurses was sought in the databases: PubMed and CINAHL. CONCLUSIONS: A pattern of growing engagement in publishing peer-reviewed articles was identified among the Danish nurses holding a doctoral degree. Fifty per cent of these doctoral prepared nurses published peer-reviewed papers. The majority apparently pursued a career in health sciences. Nursing as an academic discipline is evolving in Denmark but, with its roots in clinical nursing, scientists may have to be aware of the necessity to prevail as a discipline through scientific production.

Advancing the science of nursing education: rethinking the meaning and significance of impact factors.

It is not the case that impact factors are unhelpful and that their use should be abolished. Indeed, ISI is continuing to refine existing and develop new databases to provide important information to researchers, administrators, librarians, and editors. Impact factor data do provide useful information for the review process if used judiciously and with an awareness of what these data do and do not indicate. Perhaps it is timely for members of the nursing discipline to think more broadly about the nature of impact and to talk more about the ways in which review processes can account for the many ways the impact of research can be demonstrated. For example, as part of the review process, reviewers might ask each researcher to provide exemplars from teaching or clinical practice settings in which their research is actually being used. Researchers might also be asked to describe the impact that has occurred in ways other than through publication (e.g., presentations, consulting) and how this impact was determined. Creating review processes that allow researchers to describe their decision making related to disseminating their research and how this reflects their ability to influence the discipline may provide a more realistic picture of impact than calculated figures alone.

An inventory of nursing education research.

PURPOSE: To describe nursing education research literature in terms of quality, content areas under investigation, geographic location of the research, research designs utilized, sample sizes, instruments used to collect data, and funding sources. DESIGN AND METHODS: Quantitative and qualitative research literature published between January 1991 and December 2000 were identified and classified using an author-generated Relevance Tool. FINDINGS: 1286 articles were accepted and entered into the inventory, and an additional 22 were retained as references as they were either literature reviews or meta-analyses. Not surprisingly, 90% of nursing education research was generated in North America and Europe, the industrialised parts of the world. Of the total number of articles accepted into the inventory, 61% were quantitative research based. The bulk of the research was conducted within the confines of a course or within a program, with more than half based in educational settings. Sample sizes of the research conducted were diverse, with a bare majority using a sample between 50 and 99 participants. More than half of the studies used questionnaires to obtain data. Surprising, 80% of the research represented in these articles was not funded. The number of publications of nursing education research generated yearly stabilised at approximately 120 per year. CONCLUSION: Research programs on teaching and learning environments and practice in nursing education need to be developed. Lobbying is needed to increase funding for this type of research at national and international levels.

Data mining and education.

An emerging field of educational data mining (EDM) is building on and contributing to a wide variety of disciplines through analysis of data coming from various educational technologies. EDM researchers are addressing questions of cognition, metacognition, motivation, affect, language, social discourse, etc. using data from intelligent tutoring systems, massive open online courses, educational games and simulations, and discussion forums. The data include detailed action and timing logs of student interactions in user interfaces such as graded responses to questions or essays, steps in rich problem solving environments, games or simulations, discussion forum posts, or chat dialogs. They might also include external sensors such as eye tracking, facial expression, body movement, etc. We review how EDM has addressed the research questions that surround the psychology of learning with an emphasis on assessment, transfer of learning and model discovery, the role of affect, motivation and metacognition on learning, and analysis of language data and collaborative learning. For example, we discuss (1) how different statistical assessment methods were used in a data mining competition to improve prediction of student responses to intelligent tutor tasks, (2) how better cognitive models can be discovered from data and used to improve instruction, (3) how data-driven models of student affect can be used to focus discussion in a dialog-based tutoring system, and (4) how machine learning techniques applied to discussion data can be used to produce automated agents that support student learning as they collaborate in a chat room or a discussion board.

A comparison of self-reported cultural competency skills among two groups of nursing students: implications for nursing education.

This study was designed to examine self-reported cultural competency skills of second-semester junior-level nursing students toward clients from culturally diverse backgrounds. The purpose of this study was to ascertain if the addition of an innovative cultural sensitivity intervention facilitated greater self-perceived cultural competency skills when compared with the traditional method of incorporating cultural diversity into a junior-level clinical course. The Ethnic Competency Skills Assessment Inventory was used to collect data from participants attending a university in an urban midwestern county. Significant differences were noted between the pretest scores and posttest scores. Pretest scores were significantly lower than posttest scores for both groups. Nurse educators must examine further the differences in learning experiences related to cultural diversity that may account for these differences.

Role socialization of graduating student nurses: impact of a nursing practicum on professional role conception.

This study examined graduating student nurse role conception changes that occurred during a concentrated clinical preceptorial. A Nursing Role Conceptions Questionnaire was administered to nursing students before (n = 44) and immediately after (n = 41) a 4-week Nursing Practicum; to the students' staff nurse clinical teaching associates (n = 34); and to nursing program faculty (n = 18). Respondent perceptions of ideal nursing behaviors and actual nursing behaviors within three major nursing roles (professional, service, and bureaucratic) were identified and differences between ideal and actual scores (role discrepancy) were calculated. Findings showed that student role orientation in selected areas changed from a faculty role orientation to a staff nurse role orientation over the 4-week period. The Practicum seemed to effectively facilitate role socialization of graduating student nurses into the work setting, easing the necessary transition from education to practice.

Referenciais teóricos e instrumentos para avaliação do pensamento crítico na enfermagem e na educação / Referencias teóricas e instrumentos para la evaluación del pensamiento crítico en la enfermería y en la educación / Theoretical frameworks and instruments for evaluation of critical thinking in nursing and education

Resumo OBJETIVO Identificar referenciais teóricos e instrumentos para a avaliação do pensamento crítico a fim de embasar estudos na enfermagem e educação. MÉTODO Revisão integrativa, com busca de artigos científicos nos idiomas português, inglês e espanhol, nas bases de dados LILACS, SCIELO, IBECS, MEDLINE/PubMed e SCOPUS, utilizando os descritores: "pensamento", "ensino" e "enfermagem" ou os respectivos termos em inglês. Encontraram-se 3147 artigos; foram selecionados 23 artigos publicados entre 2010 e 2015. RESULTADOS 14 (60,2%) estudos analisados utilizaram o referencial de Facione para o embasamento das pesquisas. Identificaram-se 8 (34,4%) estudos utilizando diferentes instrumentos de avaliação do pensamento crítico, aplicados na enfermagem e educação. CONCLUSÕES A maioria dos estudos analisados utilizou o referencial de Facione. Dos instrumentos de avaliação, houve destaque do California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) e Watson - Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal; em relação às habilidades de pensamento crítico, ambos concentram a avaliação nas habilidades cognitivas de pensamento crítico.

Resumen OBJETIVO Identificar referencias teóricas e instrumentos para la evaluación del pensamiento crítico a fin de basar estudios en la enfermería y educación. MÉTODO Revisión integrativa, con búsqueda de artículos científicos en los idiomas portugués, inglés y español, en las bases de datos LILACS, SCIELO, IBECS, MEDLINE/PubMed y SCOPUS, utilizando los descriptores: "pensamiento", "enseñanza" y "enfermería" sus términos en inglés. Se encontraron 3147 artículos; se seleccionaron 23 artículos publicados entre 2010 y 2015. RESULTADOS 14 (60,2%) estudios analizados utilizaron el referencial de Facione para el embasamiento de las investigaciones. Se identificaron 8 (34,4%) estudios utilizando diferentes instrumentos de evaluación del pensamiento crítico, aplicados en la enfermería y educación. CONCLUSIONES La mayoría de los estudios analizados utilizó el referencial de Facione. De los instrumentos de evaluación, hubo destaque de las pruebas de rendimiento de las pruebas de California (CCTST) y Watson - Glaser Crítical Thinking Rate; en relación a las habilidades de pensamiento crítico, ambos concentran la evaluación en las habilidades cognitivas de pensamiento crítico.

Abstract OBJECTIVE To identify theoretical frameworks and instruments for the evaluation of critical thinking to base studies in nursing and education. METHOD Integrative review, with a selection of scientific articles in Portuguese, English and Spanish, in the LILACS, SCIELO, IBECS, MEDLINE/PubMed and SCOPUS databases, using the descriptors "thought", "teaching" and "nursing" in Portuguese and English. The search resulted in 3,147 articles, and 23 papers published between 2010 and 2015 were selected. RESULTS Fourteen (60.2%) studies used the Facione framework and eight (34.4%) resorted to different critical thinking assessment tools applied in nursing and education. CONCLUSIONS Most studies used the Facione framework. Among the evaluation tools, the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) and the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal stood out as the most common instruments; both focus on cognitive skills in critical thinking.