Inquiry Approach Learning Methods Affecting Critical Thinking Skills in Nursing Students in the Pandemic Era

Abstract

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has made all lines of nursing education switch to an online system. The use of learning methods with an inquiry approach has been widely used but with a combination of podcast media there is still no research to improve critical thinking of nursing students. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of the learning method with an inquiry approach with a combination of podcast media on nursing students' critical thinking skills and student satisfaction.

Methods: This research is a mixed-methods research with quantitative and qualitative approaches. First year nursing students taking community nursing courses consisting of 53 students. The quantitative study used Pearson's Chi-square test and the differences between the dependent and independent variables were analyzed by t-test. Qualitative research using students' opinions about the inquiry method with a combination of podcast media is determined by using a structured interview form.

Results: The experimental and control groups also differed significantly in their scores for the CTMS expectation subscale (p: 0.036), achievement (p: 0.016) and utility (p: 0.014), but they were not significantly different in terms of costs (p: 0.071). The students reported that the inquiry learning method combined with podcast media facilitated their learning and management of the nursing process, but they sometimes had difficulty.

Conclusions: It can be concluded that the learning method with an inquiry approach with a combination of podcast media improves the critical thinking skills of nursing students. The research implications show how the findings may be important for future policy, practice, theory, and research on learning methods.