A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial Study on How AI Critical Appraisal Training Enhances Critical Thinking in Nursing Students

This study is a cluster randomized controlled trial aimed at evaluating the impact of the "AI Critical Thinking Training" teaching method on the critical thinking, AI literacy, and clinical reasoning abilities of undergraduate nursing students. Random allocation methods (such as the coin-tossing method) were used to randomly assign eligible classes as a whole to either the experimental group or the control group. The experimental group received AI critical thinking training (using AI to analyze cases and annotate their errors), while the control group received the same amount of time in traditional case-based teaching. The research tools included the Chinese version of the Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory, the AI Literacy Scale, the Clinical Reasoning Scale, and a standardized case analysis scoring sheet. Data collection was conducted twice, before the experiment (pre-test) and after the experiment (post-test). The protocol was based on mature educational theories, with a clear process and extremely low risk, demonstrating good scientific and feasibility. During the research process, if the participants felt any discomfort, they could immediately request to stop the research and withdraw from the study.