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    Promoting student thinking in primary school : successful strategies in New Zealand's Year 3-6 classrooms : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education at Massey University
    (Massey University, 2002) Laursen, Jill Wright
    This thesis examines the promotion of student thinking by six primary school teachers in Auckland, New Zealand. All students think; however, cognitive research indicates the powerful ability teachers have to promote higher levels of student thinking. In a rapidly changing world, the researcher believes now is an ideal time to link relevant literature to the practices of New Zealand primary teachers. This study has three aims: firstly, to investigate why the teachers believe in the significance of promoting student thinking; secondly, to examine what the teachers are doing to facilitate higher levels of thinking by investigating their teaching practices and learning environments; and lastly, to provide descriptive examples of how New Zealand teachers in Year 3-6 primary classrooms are promoting student thinking. The qualitative, case study research design provided descriptive data that was subsequently analyzed. This study was undertaken in three phases to achieve the research aims. The first phase asked teachers to assess their promotion of student thinking on a written scale. The second phase involved the observation of lessons that the teachers believed facilitated higher levels of student thinking. Individual interviews comprised the third and final phase of this study. The collection and triangulation of the data informed the analysis from which emerged the common themes and results. The teachers represented a range of experience levels and worked in schools with differing socio-economic statuses. All teachers believed in developing the children 'holistically' with consideration of the children's academic, social, emotional and physical growth. They involved their students in collaborative activities, stressed the importance of literacy, and included time for children's reflections. Discrepancies in the extent to which children were engaged in metacognitive activities and the school support received by the teachers appeared to be the largest disparity. The differences and similarities provide important discussion points. The researcher suggests that successful approaches to promoting student thinking are first and foremost in the hands of teachers. This research indicates that teachers can independently develop their professional knowledge in this area; however, a whole school promotion of student thinking benefits the teaching staff and the student body, which in turn can positively affect New Zealand.
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    Conceptions of critical thinking for nursing judgement held by nurse educators : thesis submitted to Massey University, in accordance with the regulations, in partial fulfilment for the degree of Master of Education at College of Education, Massey University
    (Massey University, 1999) Walthew, Patricia Julia
    Over the last decade there has been a major shift in nursing education with an emphasis on facilitating students to think critically. Nurses engaged in professional practice encounter, in their every day work, situations requiring multidimensional decision-making. In order to be safe in their practice nurses need to be critical thinkers. The Nursing Council of New Zealand (1999) requires nurses to make sound professional judgement based on research, and reflection, in decision-making and problem solving. In the literature there is no clear definition of critical thinking as it relates to nursing judgement. In recent years there has been a move to broaden the conception of critical thinking from a linear problem solving process to include aspects of the affective domain. If nurse educators are to facilitate the development of critical thinking in students it seems essential that they have a clear understanding of the concept. The purpose of this study was to explore the conceptions of critical thinking for nursing judgement held by a group of nurse educators working in the Health Studies Department of a large city Institute of technology. Methods they used to facilitate the development of critical thinking and measure its achievement in students was also investigate A semi-structured interview was used to explore the nurse educator's conceptions. In addition the nurse educators where asked to discuss students work and critical incidents in clinical performance, which, in their opinion, demonstrated critical thinking. The study revealed that the nurse educators considered that critical thinking included both a rational/analytical component and an intuitive/reflective aspect. They considered critical thinking to be essential for caring nursing practice. The most common means of facilitating critical thinking was dialogue and encouraging reflection on practice through journal writing.
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    Reflective thinking in nursing practice : a thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Nursing, Massey University
    (Massey University, 1997) Teekman, Bert
    While it is claimed in the nursing literature that reflective thinking is the approach par excellence for learning and advancing the art and practice of nursing, few empirical studies have been undertaken in this area to date. This thesis presents a study of reflective thinking. Sense-Making, a qualitative research method, was utilised to obtain and analyse data from interviews from ten Registered Nurses. After exploring the seminal works of Dewey and Schön, the concept of reflective thinking was clarified in order to arrive at an operational definition. Ten non-routine nursing situations were analysed for the presence of reflective thinking Time-Line interviews of the ten events resulted in a total of 59 Micro-Moments, each of which was explored in terms of how nurses engaged in reflective thinking, and furthermore, what the focus of this reflective thought was. Reflective thinking was extensively manifest, especially in moments of doubt and perplexity. 'Pre-perceptions' played an important part in how the participants perceived their situation. Reflective thinking, an active cognitive process to create meaning and understanding, consisted of such activities as comparing and contrasting phenomena, recognising patterns, categorising perceptions, framing, and self-questioning. The latter activity was identified as a significant process within reflective thinking. By exploring and analysing the type of questions participants were asking themselves, the study uncovered three hierarchical levels of reflective thinking. Participants most often engaged in reflective thinking-for-action which centred on the here and now in order to act. Reflective thinking-for-evaluation focused on creating wholeness and contributed to the realisation of multiple perceptions and multiple responses. Reflective thinking-for-critical-inquiry is the highest level of the 'Reflective Thinking Pyramid' even though its occurrence could not be demonstrated in the study sample. The findings of this study resulted in the development of a 'Dynamic Process Model of Reflective Thinking', and are discussed in terms of the implications for nursing practice and nursing education. Finally, the Sense-Making Method is recommended as a framework to encourage and guide reflective thinking in nursing practice.
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    Educating children to think critically in the primary school setting : the place of philosophy for children : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education at Massey University, Manawatu, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2010) Gray, Jennifer
    As official policy, The New Zealand Curriculum states taht its "principle function is to set the direction for student learning and to provide guidance for schools as they design and review their curriculum" (Ministry of Education, 2007, p.6). Educating children to be critical thinkers is a compulsory element of The New Zealand Curriculum. Hence, as state employees, teachers are obligated to educate for it. Understanding what it is to be a critical thinker presupposes a teacher deciding how best to educate for it, and requires relevent information. As the guiding document however, it is deficient in this respect. It does not provide information for teachers as to what it is to be a critical thinker. Defining the term is contentious among theorists, exemplified by long-standing debate, which has not yet achieved consensus. This makes it all the more important that the Ministry of Education provides definitional clarity of the term, if it is indeed a serious educational objective. This thesis affirms the importance of educating children to be critical thinkers as part of a genuine education for induction into a democratic society. Hence, it provides the definitional clarity for teachers taht The New Zealand Curriculum does not. This thesis argues that in the primary sector, such an education is best achieved through the guidance and support of the Philosphy for Children programme, and its community of inquiry pedagogy. Transforming the traditional classroom into a philosophical community of inquiry provides the best context, while the Philosophy for Children novels and teachers' manuals provide content that engages children in thinking critically. A successful transformation has potential barriers. However, overcoming barriers by thinking critically is characteristic of a philosophic paradigm!
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    Automating the measurement of critical thinking in discussion forums : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Information Systems at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2011) Corich, Stephen Paul
    Critical thinking is seen as an essential skill for survival in the 21st century and those involved in education agree that encouraging students to think critically is an essential requirement of the educational system. There is considerable debate among educationalists concerning the most effective way to encourage the development of critical thinking skills and little agreement on the best way to measure evidence of critical thinking. This study examines what is meant by the term critical thinking and investigates some of the tools that have been used to measure evidence of critical thinking. The study concentrates on the measurement of critical thinking among discussion forum participants and describes the development and testing of a tool designed to automate the process of measuring critical thinking. Since the study involved the design, development and testing of a computerised tool, an action research approach was adopted. Action research gained popularity among information systems developers around the mid 1990s. It is seen as a methodology that encourages the generation of scientific knowledge by allowing the researcher to modify intentionally a real setting and carefully evaluate the results. The study describes the development of an automated text classification system that uses content analysis to classify discussion forum transcripts using critical thinking models developed by Garrison, Anderson, & Archer (2000), Henri (1992) and Perkins & Murphy (2006). The findings from the study suggest that automated tools have the potential to assist in the measurement of critical thinking abilities and are worthy of further investigation.
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    A qualitative exploration of emotional competence and its relevance to nursing relationships : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Nursing at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University. School of Health Sciences, 2005) Wilson, Stacey Caroline
    This qualitative research project explored the experiences of nurse educators who sought to assess aspects, which could be related to facilitation of emotional competence, in nursing students. Focus groups were conducted in three different educational institutions, offering a Bachelor of nursing degree. Each of the participants had a teaching and assessment role within the school of nursing. The contributions of the nurse educators and their interactions were audio taped, transcribed and then later, analysed using thematic and focus group analysis practices.From the analysis of the experiences of the nurse educators, four predominant themes arose which capture the areas of importance to the participants. Student nurses can develop emotional competence by critically reflecting during classroom and clinical experiences. Continuous consideration must be made within each practicing area of nursing, of the environmental and relational challenges which inhibit or facilitate nurse's ability to practice with emotional competence. Educators and practicing nurses, who work alongside students, must uphold the expectation that emotional competence is a requisite ability and provide opportunities to foster emotional growth and skills to resolve conflict within the culture of nursing.A common view shared by the educators was that the profession of nursing needs to have a clear understanding of what constitutes emotional competence. Strategies to realistically incorporate emotional competence into the educational curriculum and competency based assessment opportunities within nursing education are required.Suggestions are presented from which undergraduate nursing education can facilitate development of emotional competence with those students working toward becoming a registered nurse. Emotional competence is suggested as an essential learning outcome in the movement toward transformative nursing education and a collaborative nursing profession.