Today we studied a SCI paper, titled “critical thinking, self-esteem, and state anxiety of nursing students”. The authors utilized a cross-sectional correlational design to explore existing predominant critical thinking dispositions of baccalaureate nursing students and the relationship among their critical thinking, self-esteem, and state anxiety. This descriptive correlational study suggests that students who are critical thinkers are more likely to possess low level of state anxiety and high level of self-esteem. The students’ critical thinking dispositions, namely, self-confidence was significantly weak which may contribute to the presence of a stressful situation among them. Signifcant correlation results showed that critical thinking is positively correlated with self-esteem, negatively correlated with state anxiety, and self-esteem isnegatively correlated with state anxiety; however, all correlations were actually quite low.

    The study suggests us that there is a requirment to develop programs to enhance critical thinking, self-confidence aiming at overcoming students’ state anxiety. The study also has implications for us to design and evaluate educational activities. And there is a need for course instructors to engage in effective teacher role model of critical thinking in a way that will strengthen particularly the self-confidence of the students.