The role of cognitive approaches in nursing students’ learning experiences: A quasi-experimental study cognitive learning approaches in nursing

Abstract

Background Cognitive learning approaches are important in nursing education because they support analytical thinking, decision-making, and self-regulated learning processes. Competencies such as problem solving, critical thinking, peer support, self-directed learning readiness, and locus of control may contribute to nursing students’ academic and professional development. Unlike interventions focusing on a single student-centered teaching strategy or isolated competency, this study examined an integrated cognitive learning program that brought together five learning-related domains through structured conceptual explanation, guided questioning, and group discussion. This study aimed to examine changes in selected learning-related competencies following this integrated cognitive learning intervention among first-year nursing students.

Methods This non-randomized quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test study with experimental and control groups was conducted at two foundation universities in Istanbul, Türkiye. Group allocation was conducted at the institutional level, with one university assigned to the experimental group and the other to the control group. A total of 114 first-year nursing students completed the study, including 69 in the experimental group and 45 in the control group. The intervention consisted of a structured five-week online educational program comprising five separate 120-minute sessions, with one session delivered each week and each session focusing on a different cognitive learning domain. Data were collected using validated instruments assessing problem solving, critical thinking, peer support, self-directed learning readiness, and locus of control. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, within-group and between-group comparisons, and ANCOVA adjusted for baseline scores.

Results The intervention was associated with changes in several learning-related outcomes. In the experimental group, self-directed learning readiness increased and showed the clearest adjusted between-group difference. Critical thinking showed a less marked decline than that observed in the control group, although the adjusted between-group difference was not statistically significant. Problem-Solving Inventory scores also changed over time, but these findings require cautious interpretation in view of the scoring characteristics of the instrument. Peer support decreased in the experimental group, and no significant adjusted between-group difference was observed for this outcome. Findings related to locus of control were also mixed and were not supported after adjustment for baseline differences between groups.

Conclusions The clearest finding was observed for self-directed learning readiness, suggesting that short-term cognitively oriented educational input may be particularly relevant to students’ readiness for autonomous learning. Findings for problem solving, critical thinking, peer support, and locus of control were more mixed, indicating that learning-related outcomes may respond differently to condensed online interventions. By examining multiple domains within a single structured framework, this study contributes preliminary evidence on the domain-specific nature of cognitive learning interventions in nursing education.