Comparison of Critical Thinking Skills between students studying the first year and the fourth year of Nursing at a Chilean university

Abstract

Introduction: Critical thinking is recognized as an essential competence in 21st century education, especially in the health field, where it is required for complex clinical decision making. This study seeks to measure and compare the levels of critical thinking in students from different academic years.
Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional design was used with a sample of 162 students, applying a 30-item survey with a Likert-type scale. Six dimensions of critical thinking were assessed and the Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare scores between groups.
Results: First-year students reported higher critical thinking skills (average 3.69) compared to fourth-year students (average 3.45), with the difference in the dimensions of "Dialogic Reading" and "Dialogic Listening and Speaking" being statistically significant. Fourth-year students identified more areas for improvement in their skills.
Conclusions: As students progress in their training, they become more critical about their critical thinking skills. Although both groups identified similar skills, fourth-year students showed greater awareness of their limitations, especially in the dialogic and substantive dimensions. This suggests the need for specific approaches in teaching critical thinking in nursing education.