Effects of Socratic Questioning on Academic Performance and Critical Thinking Dispositions Among Nursing Students

Abstract

Objective: To assess the effects of Socratic questioning on critical thinking disposition among nursing students and to assess the effects of Socratic questioning on academic performance among nursing students. 

Study Design: A Quasi-Experimental Study 
Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted at the School of Nursing Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, affiliated with Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto medical University Islamabad from March 2024 to Nov. 2024. 

Methods: In this investigation, a quasi-experimental study design was employed. A universal census sampling strategy was used to select 40 nursing students from semester 7 School of Nursing Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences. Critical thinking disposition was evaluated using a validated method, while academic achievement was evaluated using written assignments and quizzes. After a pre-assessment to gather baseline data, the participants received instruction using the Socratic questioning style. Data was gathered following the intervention in order to 
see the impact of the intervention in the post-assessment. 

Results: Following the intervention, there was a noticeable difference between the two scores of critical thinking before and after the intervention. The post assessment of critical thinking had a significantly higher mean score of 167.20 with a standard deviation of 7.528 than the pre assessment 125.40 with a standard deviation (SD) of 7.472 (p<.001).  Similarly the pre intervention mean academic performance score was 69.69 with a standard deviation of 3.279, which was increased to 89.44 with standard deviation of 3.074 (p<.001).  

Conclusion: This study appears to have had a significant positive impact on both critical thinking skills and academic performance among nursing students. These results suggest that the intervention effectively enhanced both critical thinking and academic performance, highlighting the potential benefits of targeted interventions in nursing education.