Graduation Date

Spring 5-5-2018

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Programs

Medical Sciences Interdepartmental Area

First Advisor

Dr. Gilbert Willet

Abstract

Critical thinking affords future healthcare practitioners with the cognitive skills and affective dispositions needed in a continuously evolving workforce. The need for critical thinking in healthcare practice is evident and well-established; however, the deliberate teaching of critical thinking in educational programs remains an area for growth. This dissertation research investigated the effectiveness of an educational intervention designed to progress critical thinking in radiography students through a mixed methods approach. An intervention mixed methods design with components of convergent and explanatory features enabled the research questions to be investigated. Changes in test scores generated from the California Critical Thinking Skills Test and reflections found in journal entries and a post-intervention survey served as the quantitative and qualitative data sets. The merging of the quantitative and qualitative data sets provided a rich understanding of how the educational intervention progressed critical thinking among the radiography students. The key findings from this research suggested that there was no significant difference between changes in test scores between the experimental and control groups; however, the experimental group felt the educational intervention positively changed their critical thinking behaviors. The results generated from the dissertation will advance the imaging science field by providing evidence where there are gaps in knowledge.

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