Date
8-20-2026
Department
School of Nursing
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (PhD)
Chair
Allyson Brown
Keywords
critical thinking disposition, AI avatars, nursing education, experiential learning
Disciplines
Nursing
Recommended Citation
Ziegler, Galen, "Assessing the Impact of Interactive AI Avatars on Critical Thinking Disposition in Undergraduate Nursing Students: An Experimental Study" (2026). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 8807.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/8807
Abstract
The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if there was a statistically significant difference in critical thinking disposition scores between undergraduate nursing students who participate in learning activities using an interactive AI avatar and those who engage in traditional written learning activities within a required course using an experimental pre-test/post-test design. The escalating complexity of the modern healthcare environment demands that nurses possess robust critical thinking dispositions, yet rigorous experimental evidence demonstrating the causal impact of AI avatars on this outcome remains limited. A convenience sample of 130 undergraduate nursing students enrolled in medical-surgical nursing courses at a community college in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States was randomly assigned to either an AI avatar intervention group (n = 65) or a traditional written activity control group (n = 65). Critical thinking disposition was measured using Rickett's Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CTDI) at pre-test and post-test. Data were collected electronically via Qualtrics and analyzed using IBM SPSS, version 30. An independent-samples t test using CTDI gain scores was used. Results indicated a statistically significant difference in mean gain scores between groups, t(85.47) = 5.38, p < .001, with a large effect size (d = 0.94), favoring the AI avatar group. The null hypothesis was rejected. These findings provide experimental evidence that interactive AI avatars are an effective pedagogical strategy for cultivating critical thinking disposition in undergraduate nursing students, with implications for curriculum design, educational policy, and nursing practice. Future research should employ longitudinal designs, mixed methods approaches, and replication across diverse nursing programs and institutions.
