PENSAMIENTO CRÍTICO Y HABILIDADES INVESTIGATIVAS EN DOCENTES DE PREGRADO DE CIENCIAS DE LA SALUD EN TACNA

Abstract

Objective: To determine the association between critical thinking and research skills among undergraduate faculty in the Faculty of
Health Sciences at Tacna. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional, prospective, correlational study was conducted with a sample of 161 faculty members from two Peruvian universities in Tacna who taught at the undergraduate level. Participants were selected by convenience sampling and voluntarily agreed to participate after signing an informed consent form. Data was collected using two self-administered questionnaires sent via email between March and June 2021: the Scientific Critical Thinking Questionnaire and the Self-Assessment Questionnaire of Research Skills. Data was analyzed using absolute and relative frequencies, as well as Spearman's correlation coefficient to assess the association between variables. Results: The results showed that most faculty (87.4%) had a high level of research skills, while 66.7% had a moderate level of scientific critical thinking. When analyzing the dimensions of responsibility-consciousness and cognitive of critical thinking, a statistically significant association and a high positive correlation
(correlation coefficient = 0.692; p < 0.01) with research skills were found. Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that there is a positive and significant association between scientific critical thinking and research skills among undergraduate faculty in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Tacna.