Untangling critical thinking in educational cyberspace
department or school: Education, Faculty of
data provider: DSpace
degree campus: UBCV
creator: Ronaldson, Sharon Elizabeth
issued: 2009-12-01T19:12:40Z
issued: 2004
related degree: Doctor of Philosophy - PhD
degree grantor: University of British Columbia
description: This study was methodologically situated within two cycles of insider action research and informed by the blending of the philosophical underpinnings of the interpretive and the praxis paradigms. It was conducted by one nurse-educator-researcher exploring the perspectives of eleven undergraduate student nurses, who engaged with "Nursing Journeys: Virtual Reflective Centre", a researcher-developed virtual, simulation instrument designed to promote critical thinking, while enrolled in a first-year nursing course in a college in British Columbia over a 12- week semester. The study participants kept a reflective journal for the duration of the study and interviews were conducted at the end of the semester. While interviews and journal excerpts were the primary sources of data, participant-observation, field notes and online dialogue transcripts were also used as data collection techniques. The analytic strategy chosen for this study was grounded theory. This study also traced a self-reflective journey of practice as research in an attempt to develop a greater understanding of the teaching and learning process in educational cyberspace. The findings of the study suggested that participants were able to articulate their definition of critical thinking and use this definition to work through the case narratives while role-playing the various virtual characters. The study participants were also able to recognize that they were only beginning to understand critical thinking and that it was not necessarily learned and actualized in a linear, individual fashion. The findings of the study also suggested the facilitation of critical thinking was contingent on a pattern of a way of knowing: Cyber-textual Mediated Knowing and several other factors: time, trust, facilitation, reflection, purposeful decision making in design. Although NJVRC may have properties that have the potential to promote critical thinking, its cognitive dimension was significantly more developed than the affe…
aggregated CHO: https://circle.library.ubc.ca/rest/handle/2429/16038
extent: 14514351 bytes
format: application/pdf
note: Untangling Critical Thinking in Educational Cyberspace B y Sharon El izabe th Rona ldson B . S . N . , Univers i ty o f B r i t i s h C o l u m b i a , 1988 M . E d . , Univers i ty o f B r i t i s h C o l u m b i a , 1995 A T H E S I S S U B M I T T E D I N P A R T I A L F U L F I L L M E N T O F T H E R E Q U I R E M E N T S F O R T H E D E G R E E O F D O C T O R O F P H I L O S O P H Y i n T H E F A C U L T Y O F G R A D U A T E S T U D I E S (Centre for the Cross Facul ty Inquiry) W e accept this dissertation as conforming to the required standards The Un ive r s i t y o f B r i t i s h C o l u m b i a M a r c h 2004 © Sharon E l i zabe th Rona ldson , 2004 A B S T R A C T Th i s study was methodo log ica l ly situated w i t h i n two cycles o f insider act ion research and informed b y the b lend ing o f the ph i losoph ica l underpinnings o f the interpretive and the praxis paradigms. It was conducted b y one nurse-educator-researcher exp lo r ing the perspectives o f e leven undergraduate student nurses, who engaged w i t h Nursing Journeys: Virtual Reflective Centre, a researcher-developed v i r tua l , s imula t ion instrument designed to promote c r i t i ca l th ink ing , w h i l e enrol led i n a first-year nurs ing course i n a col lege i n B r i t i s h C o l u m b i a over a 12-week semester. The study participants kept a reflective jou rna l for the durat ion o f the study and interviews were conducted at the end o f the semester. W h i l e interviews and journa l excerpts were the p r imary sources o f data, participant-observation, f ie ld notes and onl ine dialogue transcripts were also used as data co l l ec t ion techniques. The analyt ic strategy chosen for this study was grounded theory. Th i s study also traced a self-reflective journey o f practice as research i n an attempt to develop a greater understanding o f the teaching and learning process i n educational cyberspace. The f indings o f the study suggested that participants were able t…
has type: Thesis/Dissertation
date issued: 2004-05
is shown at: 10.14288/1.0091829
language: eng
degree discipline: Cross-Faculty Inquiry in Education
provider: Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
publisher: University of British Columbia
rights: For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.
scholar level: Graduate
type: Text
identifier URI: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/16038