Evidence exists supporting the need for nurses to learn critical thinking and clinical decision making skills to enable them to practice competently in today's complex health care environment. Despite this need, research indicates many nurses do not possess these skills nor are they being taught in Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) Programs. This study investigated the effects of an instructional program on critical thinking and clinical decision making skills of ADN students. A quasi-experimental pre-posttest design was utilized. The null hypotheses stated there would be no significant difference between posttest scores on the Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal (WGCTA) and the Nursing Performance Simulation Instrument (NPSI) for students in the experimental group (n = 59) and control group (n = 46).

Specific research questions were: (1) Is there a relationship between variables (years of education and Grade Point Average) and WGCTA or NPSI scores for the experimental group? (2) Is there a difference between WGCTA and NPSI scores for ADN's who have worked in a nursing care setting and those who have not? (3) Is there a difference between pretest and posttest scores on each of the five subsets of items on the WGCTA?.

Utilizing Repeated Measures ANOVA, no significant interaction effect for group or time was obtained on either instrument. Significant correlations were found between pre and post WGCTA and NPSI for both the experimental and control groups. For the experimental group, GPA was significantly correlated with both WGCTA and NPSI. No significant correlation was obtained for years of education. Additionally, work experience had no effect on WGCTA or NPSI scores. A comparison of pretest to posttest mean scores for subsets of items on the WGCTA revealed no significant gains.

Conclusions indicated either: (a) the instructional program was not effective in increasing critical thinking and clinical decision making skills or; (b) the WGCTA and NPSI were not sensitive enough to measure these skills as utilized by ADN students. Further research is needed to examine the nature of critical thinking and clinical decision making; develop more sensitive instruments to measure these variables; and determine what curriculum content, teaching methodologies and learning experiences are most effective.