Table 4.

Statistically significant differences in proportions (no. presented in per cent) of nurses with high critical thinking scores on the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTDI) total (i.e. ≥280) and subscales scores (i.e. ≥40) related to background data (Pearson’s chi-square test)

	%	χ2	P value
Age
>30 years (n= 249) vs. ≤30 years (n= 361)*
CCTDI total score	88 vs. 75	14·44	<0·001
Truth-seeking	55 vs. 42	9·44	0·002
Systematicity	88 vs. 80	6·19	0·013
Inquisitiveness	96 vs. 91	5·39	0·020
Gender
Males (n= 58) vs. females (n= 556)
Analyticity	88 vs. 73	6·01	0·014
University education prior to nursing education
Yes (n= 114) vs. no (n= 492)†
CCTDI total score	87 vs. 79	4·07	0·044
Truth-seeking	65 vs. 43	17·36	<0·001
Work area
Community health care (n= 222) vs. hospitals (n= 340)‡
CCTDI total score	86 vs. 77	6·92	0·009
Systematicity	88 vs. 81	5·43	0·020

^*Four respondents did not answer the question (n= 610).

^†Eight respondents did not answer the question (n= 606).

^‡Forty-nine respondents (8%) had part-time positions in both hospitals and community health care (not reported here). Three respondents did not answer the question (n= 562).