Keywords
critical thinking
nursing students
academic use
undergraduate education
How to Cite
Abstract
Background: The higher education landscape has changed with the introduction of social media, and nursing education has been at the forefront as a result. Students do employ platforms like WhatsApp, YouTube, and Facebook to engage in academic activities. As a profession, critical thinking is a central skill within the nursing practice, which is necessary in clinical decision-making and patient care. Nevertheless, the connection between academic social media use and critical thinking formation is understudied, especially in low- and middle-income states such as Pakistan.
Aim: This study aimed to examine the correlation between social media usage for academic purposes and critical thinking ability among undergraduate nursing students in Swat, Pakistan.
Methods: A descriptive correlational research, 217 nursing students were taken in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Year of BSN programs in different nursing colleges of Swat. Stratified random sampling was used. The evaluation of academic use of social media and critical thinking were assessed using a structured questionnaire and a California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST), respectively. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 27. They were calculated using descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation with the significance being at p < 0.05.
Results: The most commonly used platforms for academic purposes were WhatsApp (94.5%) and YouTube (82.9%). The majority of students demonstrated moderate levels of critical thinking (60.8%). A statistically significant positive correlation was found between academic social media use and critical thinking scores (r = 0.312, p = 0.002).
Conclusion: Academic use of social media positively influences the critical thinking abilities of nursing students. Educators should integrate these platforms strategically to enhance cognitive skill development.