Critical Thinking Disposition and Influencing Factors Among New Graduate Nurses

Background: Critical thinking disposition is impor-tant to facilitate professional judgment for novice nurs-es. The goals of this study were to describe critical think-ing disposition among newly graduated nurses and to examine the factors that impact the development of critical thinking disposition. Method: This study em-ployed a cross-sectional research design. Results: The mean critical thinking score was 244.11 (SD = 44.70), with the highest mean scores earned on the inquisitive-ness subscale (M = 38.46, SD = 7.10). The lowest subscale scores were for systematicity (M = 34.81, SD = 5.54), truth seeking (M = 33.12, SD = 6.42), and self-confidence (M = 29.26, SD = 6.90). Critical thinking dispositions were significantly associated with teaching strategies during the educational period, problem-based learn-ing courses, and length of exposure to problem-based learning. Conclusion: Findings provide information to understand the disposition toward critical thinking in novice nurses and can serve as a reference in efforts to improve novice nurses' critical thinking skills.