Factors Associated with Healthcare Students’ Cognitive Levels Measured by the Classroom Test of Scientific Reasoning.

Authors

Alberto J. de Armendi, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences CenterFollow
Amir L. Butt, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences CenterFollow
Kathryn M.L Konrad, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences CenterFollow
Mohanad Shukry, University of Nebraska Medical CenterFollow
Edmund A. Marek II, University of OklahomaFollow

ORCID (Optional)

ORCID: 0000-0002-4802-4162

Document Type

Original Report

Disciplines

Curriculum and Instruction | Educational Methods | Higher Education | Medical Education | Medicine and Health Sciences | Nursing

Abstract

Introduction: Healthcare student acceptance into graduate and professional school is based on Grade Point Average (GPA), Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores, interviews, and letters of recommendation, but not on cognition levels. However, educators need to understand students’ cognitive levels to facilitate constructivist learning theory and inquiry-based learning. The aim of this study is to understand the influence of cognition in healthcare students through the administration of the Classroom Test of Scientific Reasoning (CTSR).

Methods: Medical and baccalaureate nursing students were enrolled to answer demographic questions and complete the CTSR. The CTSR rubric score were used to define four operational cognitive levels for potential association with covariates.

Results: Mean rubric CTSR scores were higher in medical than nursing students (ρ

Conclusions: As pedagogical studies are conducted, information on healthcare students’ cognition is needed. Our study shows that CTSR rubric scores (cognition) were significantly associated with professional preference and age. We suggest future studies to evaluate the need for cognition evaluation at admission to help the students to choose a specialty that most appropriately matches their cognitive level.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.32873/unmc.dc.gmerj.6.2.002

Keywords

Classroom Test of Scientific Reasoning, Cognition levels, Medical students, Nursing students

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

de Armendi, A. J., Butt, A. L., Konrad, K. M., Shukry, M., , Marek, E. A. Factors Associated with Healthcare Students’ Cognitive Levels Measured by the Classroom Test of Scientific Reasoning.. Graduate Medical Education Research Journal. 2024 Oct 31; 6(2).
https://digitalcommons.unmc.edu/gmerj/vol6/iss2/2