A longitudinal study of baccalaureate nursing students' critical thinking dispositions.

A longitudinal descriptive design was used to examine nursing students' dispositions toward critical thinking as they progressed from the Sophomore II to Senior II semester in a baccalaureate nursing program in the midwestern United States. The California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTDI) was distributed during week 10 in the Sophomore II, Junior I, Junior II, Senior I, and Senior II semesters. Significantly higher CCTDI scores were achieved in the Junior I and Junior II semesters, but no significant differences were found when comparing the Sophomore II and Senior II semesters. No relationship was found between passing the NCLEX-RN, standardized test scores, and CCTDI scores.