Browsing by Author "Boso, Christian Makafui"
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- ItemDevelopment of a curriculum framework to facilitate critical thinking skills of undergraduate students in developing countries : a multi-method study of a Ghanaian nursing educational institution(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2019-12) Boso, Christian Makafui; Van der Merwe, Anitas S.; Gross, Janet; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. Dept. of Nursing & Midwifery.ENGLISH SUMMARY: A curriculum grounded on a critical thinking ethos has become preferred in nursing education today. Students who experience such curricula are more likely to provide safe patient care and engage in autonomously meaningful and self-reflective thinking. A curriculum framework which is based on critical thinking premises could provide the impetus to drive the development of critical thinking skills of nursing students. Yet, this researcher could not find evidence of a framework to facilitate critical thinking skills in the context of a developing country. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to develop a curriculum framework to facilitate critical thinking skills of students in a nursing educational institution. Based on critical theory and pragmatism, cooperative inquiry utilized the multi-methods to elicit different data sources. Congruent with tenets of the cooperative inquiry research method, 11 participants comprising three educators, two preceptors, five students, and the principal researcher were purposively selected to obtain preliminary data in order to develop the framework. These 11 participants engaged in seven phases of data collection, analysis, and reflection, using O’Leary’s cycle of action research. Consequently, this project set out to identify the inhibiting and/or enhancing factors of memory, disposition and cognitive skills of critical thinking, and instructional activities in a nursing school. Using purposive, random, convenience sampling techniques, 115 students and 13 educators were selected to participate in the various phases of this research project. Four data collection methods were utilized including qualitative non-participant observations; group interviews; completion of a critical thinking tool—the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTDI); and analysis of examination questions. The findings revealed four classificatory themes: educators’ characteristics, students’ characteristics, university-wide factors, and issues concerning continuous quality improvement. Notably, the relationship between students and educators was identified as requiring improvement. Some educators’ teaching methods and attitudes toward students apparently did not encourage dissent and invariably impeded an authentic, functional and democratic student-educator relationship necessary for a participatory learning environment to enhance critical thinking skills development of students. The CCTDI score indicated a positive disposition of students toward critical thinking. The score was higher than most studies from developing countries cited. The analysis of examination questions revealed that less than 5% of examination questions assessed students on higher orders of thinking – acknowledging that numerous factors influence such findings and was thus viewed as indicative of a possible trend. These findings culminated in the development of a critical thinking curriculum framework to provide the impetus needed to drive the development of critical thinking skills of students. Through cooperative group members’ reflections, factors relating to educators, students, assessment, continuous quality improvement, and university-wide issues were cooperatively considered. The important concepts of this framework included a) authentic learner-facilitator partnership; b) a facilitator that makes a difference; c) a learner that is free to question and to reflect; d) a conducive and participatory learning environment; e) a curriculum renewal processes; and f) contextual realities. The interplay of these factors is required to enhance students’ memory, disposition and cognitive skills of critical thinking. A critical thinking-based framework may provide the impetus required to drive the development of critical thinking skills of nursing students. Based on the findings, further testing and future utilization of the framework in nursing education is recommended, especially in the Ghanaian context.