The impact of a standardized participant simulation learning experience on the critical thinking disposition of undergraduate health administration students.

The purpose of this action research study was (a) to observe the impact of simulation on the critical thinking disposition of undergraduate students in a health administration program, and (b) to observe faculty perceptions of the efficacy of simulation as a training and evaluative tool for undergraduate students in a health administration program. The California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTDI) was used to measure critical thinking disposition in an experimental group of subjects before and after a simulation, and in a control group of subjects who did not undergo simulation. The experimental group scored higher on the post-test CCTDI than on the pre-test, and overall scores from the experimental group post-test were higher than those of the control group. Qualitative findings demonstrated that simulation challenged subjects in areas germane to critical thinking, such as leadership and interpersonal communication. Faculty observers of the simulations recognized that simulation-teaching techniques can be useful for management, leadership, and ethics instruction, and that simulation can be useful as a tool to evaluate technical and conceptual competencies of undergraduate students in a health administration program. Additionally, the research demonstrated how simulation could provide a concrete experience, which launches experiential learning that, in turn, has the potential to improve critical thinking. A simulation/ experiential learning model is also suggested.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ed.D. Educational Leadership

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Educational Leadership

Year dc:date.available

2015

Author dc:creator

• DiCostanzo, Fred

Contributors dc:contributor

• Coaxum, James

• Critical thinking; Health services administration--Study and teaching--Simulation methods
• Other Educational Administration and Supervision

Repository record dc:identifier

https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd/322

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:rdw.rowan.edu:etd-1321