The Influence of Cultural Values on Critical Thinking Dispositions among Baccalaureate Nursing Students: A Comparative Analysis between Thailand and the United States

Abstract

The development of critical thinking dispositions and skills is recognized as a significant part of nursing education. Critical thinking dispositions are the consistent internal motivation or the person’s habitual ways to utilize critical thinking skills (Facione, 1990a).

Developing strong critical thinking dispositions is important to the development of strong critical thinking skills and is imperative for nursing students to improve patient safety and healthcare quality. However, the increasing cultural diversity in the classroom and clinical settings may challenge the development and use of critical thinking dispositions of students in nursing education.

The aims of this cross-sectional, comparative non-experimental study design were to explore if cultural values varied between Thailand and the United States, using the World Values Survey (WVS) datasets; to explore if critical thinking dispositions varied between pre-licensure baccalaureate nursing students in Thailand (n=100) and the United States (n=100) using the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTDI); and to investigate the relationship between cultural values and critical thinking dispositions among pre-licensure baccalaureate nursing students in Thailand and the United States.

Data was analyzed utilizing descriptive statistics, Pearson’s product moment correlation coefficient, independent t-tests, simple linear regression, and multiple linear regression. The findings in this study illustrated that: There is a statistically significant difference in cultural values between Thailand and the United States (p < .05); there is a statistically significant difference in the CCTDI scores between pre-licensure baccalaureate nursing students in Thailand, as compared with the United States (p < .05); and statistically significant positive correlations were found between cultural values and critical thinking dispositions among pre-licensure baccalaureate nursing students in Thailand and the United States (p < .05). Additionally, cultural values were a significant predictor of critical thinking dispositions (p < .01).

Nurse educators need to recognize that cultural differences may be present among their students in both the classroom and clinical settings and may impact students’ critical thinking dispositions and skills. Understanding how cultural values influence critical thinking dispositions of students is valuable in directing, planning, reforming, and developing instructional strategies, curricula, and programs to improve students’ critical thinking skills in nursing education globally.