Critical thinking: back to square two.

Tracking the development of critical thinking in students presents challenges for nursing programs. After 8 years of measuring critical thinking with mixed results, faculty at one school analyzed current beliefs and practices with a focus on the type of thinking that is reinforced in both classroom and clinical settings and the effects of classroom technology on critical thinking. Recommendations for the conceptualization of critical thinking and its measurement, as well as teaching strategies to emphasize principles over "coverage," are proposed.