Effect of AI Critical Appraisal Training on Critical Thinking in Nursing Students (C-RCT)

April 13, 2026 updated by: Xi Cao

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.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

400

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Locations

  • China
    • Sichuan
      • Chengdu, Sichuan, China, 610000
        • Chengdu Medical College
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • All full-time undergraduate nursing students currently enrolled, who are willing to participate in this study

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Did not complete the survey questionnaire and did not take the final exam.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Other
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: AI Critical Appraisal Training
Students use AI tools to analyze surgical nursing cases and submit annotated reports identifying errors in AI-generated answers with justifications.
Behavioral: Traditional Case-Based Learning
Over the same 8 weeks, students analyze identical surgical nursing cases by consulting printed and electronic resources (excluding AI). They submit written answers to case questions and a personal reflection, and declare no AI use.
Active Comparator: Traditional Case-Based Learning
Students receive the same cases but use traditional methods (textbooks, group discussion) without AI tools.
Behavioral: AI Critical Appraisal Training
Over 8 weeks, students complete 4 case assignments. For each case, they interact with an AI tool, screenshot the full dialogue, and then critically annotate the AI's responses: identify at least 3 errors or debatable points, provide corrected answers with evidence from textbooks, and write a brief reflection.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Critical Thinking Disposition
Time Frame: Baseline and Week 8
Measured by the Chinese version of the Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CTDI-CV). The scale has 70 items, each rated on a 6-point Likert scale (1=strongly disagree to 6=strongly agree). Total score ranges from 70 to 420. Higher scores indicate a stronger disposition toward critical thinking.
Baseline and Week 8

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in AI Literacy
Time Frame: Baseline and Week 8
Measured by the Artificial Intelligence Literacy Scale for Chinese College Students (AILS-CCS). The scale has 15 items, each rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1=strongly disagree to 5=strongly agree). Total score ranges from 15 to 75. Higher scores indicate higher AI literacy.
Baseline and Week 8
Changes in clinical reasoning ability
Time Frame: Baseline and Week 8
Measured by the Chinese version of the Clinical Reasoning and Reflection Self-Assessment Scale. The scale has 26 items, each rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1=strongly disagree to 5=strongly agree). Total score ranges from 26 to 130. Higher scores indicate better clinical reasoning ability.
Baseline and Week 8
Case Analysis Performance
Time Frame: Week 8
Assessed by a self-developed scoring rubric applied to the final case analysis report. Scores are evaluated by blinded assessors. The total score ranges from 0 to 100. Higher scores indicate better case analysis performance.
Week 8

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Xi Cao

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

April 7, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

June 7, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

April 2, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

April 6, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 13, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

April 20, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

April 20, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 13, 2026

Last Verified

April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

  • Chengdu Medical College

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Because this is a single-center study.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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