The article titled “A Quantitative Study Exploring Undergraduate Nursing Students’ Perception of Their Critical Thinking and Clinical Decision Making Ability While Using Apps at the Point of Care” presents quantitative research on the impact mobile technology has on critical thinking abilities. Sedgwick, Awosoga, Grigg, and Durnin (2016) employed a pretest-posttest methodology to collect and evaluate data. The sample was picked among the target population of undergraduate nurse students who had to use mobile applications for access to information and assistance in clinical decision-making during their preceptorship. The participants had to complete two questionnaires – at the beginning of the period and the end of it. The researchers are clear and detailed about the use of specific tools for data collection and analysis. Although the results of the study are not conclusive, they give a direction for further research on the problem.
Researcher Qualifications
The publication of the research contains neither biographical sketches nor the authors’ academic credentials. However, it refers to the faculties of Education and Health Sciences at the University of Lethbridge in Canada, where the researchers were working at the moment of publication. The faculties’ web pages inform that the authors of the study have backgrounds of research in the field of nursing education and are associate professors with Ph.D. degrees.
Title
The title of the paper consists of 25 words, which significantly exceeds the recommended word count. Moreover, it contains several extraneous words, such as “a study” or “exploring.” Despite these drawbacks, critical components of the article are apparent in its title, including problem specification, population, and setting. The title is not concise, but it clearly specifies the objectives of the research, its subject, as well as significant variables.
Abstract
The abstract of the research under discussion presents a brief outline of the report’s content in a concise manner. According to Nieswiadomy and Bailey (2018), the main features of the study should be apparent in its abstract, including the problem or purpose, research methodology, participants, primary findings, implications, and conclusions. The issue of the research is absent from the abstract, but the point is that it is not clearly declared in the main body. Instead, it is expressed through the purpose statement, which is the first sentence of the abstract. The authors do not directly refer to the participants as a sample in the abstract, addressing the whole population they represent. Such aspects as a study method, findings, and implications are presented clearly and extensively. The conclusions are not definite because the authors do not accentuate the meaning of the research, preferring to focus on generalizing the information. The list of keywords included at the end of the abstract identifies the main concepts and helps in work with search engines.
Introduction
The introduction begins with the assumption that the development of critical thinking skills is the primary aim of nursing education. It also provides the background of the use of mobile applications in clinical decision-making and the objectives of preceptorship in undergraduate nursing education. The introduction is written in a comprehensible manner, and it can catch the reader’s interest. Logically linked thoughts lead to understanding the problems and purpose of writing the article.
Identifying the Problem
The problem of the current study is not defined through a declarative statement. Nieswiadomy and Bailey (2018) claim that the purpose, problem, and research question are individual aspects of the study, but many researchers prefer to express the idea of what is studied through one of them. In the given report, the authors focus on the purpose of the study, but the problem, although not stated directly, is discussed throughout the whole paper. The authors believe that mobile technologies are used inconsistently in the context of Canadian undergraduate programs for nursing education. According to Sedgwick et al. (2016), “their impact on students’ critical thinking and clinical decision-making ability at the point of care is… unknown” (p. 3). This statement is based on the previous study background and concerns the population of the research.
Purpose
The reason for undertaking this study was clearly formulated in the report. It is apparent in several sections of the article, including the abstract and the introductory part. The authors accurately answer the question about the primary goal of conducting the research but are somewhat bland about separate objectives. According to Sedgwick et al. (2016), the research aims at the exploration of smartphone apps’ impact on the critical thinking ability of undergraduate nurses. The purpose contains significant variables of the study, such as the target population and the subject under the investigation.
In general, the paper is well-structured with a deep insight into the methodology and justification of the theories. The theoretical and conceptual framework is accurately identified, focusing on educational and nursing concepts. The research design is clearly described in the corresponding section of the report. The methods and tools of data collection and analysis were appropriately chosen and applied. However, self-evaluation is not the most suitable way of assessing critical thinking ability, especially in short-term studies. The research has several limitations that suggest that its findings are not general and conclusive, creating implications for further investigation of the issue.
References
Nieswiadomy, R. M., & Bailey, C. (2018). Foundations of nursing research. New York, NY: Pearson.
Sedgwick, M. G., Awosoga, O., Grigg, L., & Durnin, J.-M. (2016). A quantitative study exploring undergraduate nursing students’ perception of their critical thinking and clinical decision-making ability while using apps at the point of care. Journal of Nursing Education and Practice, 6(10). Web.