The Effectiveness of Online Education on the Development of Critical Thinking Skills among Nursing Students in Al-Balqa Applied University: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Enas Khaled Mohammad Salameh, Al-Balqa Applied University 
Nooh Adel Mostafa Alkhateeb, Nussibah Almazniah College

https://doi.org/10.9743/JEO.2025.22.2.14

Abstract

The shift towards online education in nursing programs prompts a critical evaluation of its efficacy, especially concerning the development of essential competencies like critical thinking. This study centers on understanding how online education impacts the critical thinking skills of nursing students at Al-Balqa Applied University, given the global surge in digital learning adoption and the unique challenges and opportunities it presents in professional education. The primary objective of this research is to assess the effectiveness of online educational interventions in enhancing the critical thinking skills of nursing students, comparing the outcomes with those of traditional, in-person educational approaches. Employing a quasi-experimental design, this study involved 128 nursing students from Al-Balqa Applied University, evenly divided into control and experimental groups. The California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) served as the principal instrument for measuring students’ critical thinking skills before and after the intervention. The research employed purposive sampling, with data analysis including descriptive statistics, independent and paired samples t-tests, and regression analysis to explore the impact of online education. The results indicate a significant improvement in the critical thinking skills of students in the experimental group who received the online education intervention compared to the control group engaged in traditional learning methods. Both groups were initially comparable in terms of critical thinking skills, as evidenced by the baseline CCTST scores, ensuring a valid comparison of the intervention’s impact. This study demonstrates that online education can be an effective tool for enhancing critical thinking skills among nursing students. It suggests that digital learning platforms, when thoughtfully designed and implemented, can complement or even surpass traditional educational methods in developing critical thinking competencies. These findings are instrumental in guiding the integration of online learning strategies in nursing education, with implications for curriculum development and instructional design.

Keywords: California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST), critical thinking skills, nursing students, online education, quasi-experimental design