Improving Nursing Students' Critical Thinking Disposition Through a Gamified Flipped Classroom: A Quasiexperimental Study

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Combining gamification with the flipped classroom as a novel teaching method for enhancing the learning process has theoretical advantages. AIM: This study aimed to investigate the effect of the gamified flipped classroom method on the critical thinking disposition of undergraduate nursing students at Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. METHODS: This study was a single-group, quasiexperimental design with a pretest and a posttest. This study was conducted on 60 fourth-semester nursing students. The intervention consisted of a gamified flipped classroom, with the preclass component delivered on a virtual learning management system with games and the in-class component gamified in face-to-face classes. The Persian version of the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTDI) was used. RESULTS: A statistically significant improvement was observed in overall critical thinking disposition and in the subscales of open-mindedness, analyticity, and maturity following the implementation of the gamified flipped classroom (p = 0.001). Effect sizes were moderate to strong (95 CI: -0.71 to -0.47). CONCLUSION: This study suggests that integrating a gamified flipped classroom with in-class games may enhance nursing students' disposition toward critical thinking.