摘要：Introduction The learning environment refers to the
physical, pedagogical, and psychosocial contexts in
which learning occurs and critically influences the
educational experience of trainees in the health professions. However, the manner in which individual
faculty explicitly organize the educational setting to
facilitate learning of essential competencies such as
critical thinking deserves more examination; lack of
attention to this component can undermine the formal curriculum. The purpose of our study was to examine how faculty shape the learning environment to
advance their learners’ development of critical thinking.
Methods We took a constructivist grounded theory
approach using the framework method for qualitative content analysis. Data were derived from interviews
conducted with 44 faculty identified as skilled teachers of critical thinking at eight academic health professions institutions.
Results Three major themes emerged regarding participants’ descriptions of their experiences of how
they optimized the learning environment to support
critical thinking: 1) Setting the atmosphere (establishing ground rules, focusing on process rather than
answers, and building trust), 2) Maintaining the climate (gently pushing learners, tolerating discomfort,
and adjusting to learner level), and 3) Weathering
the storm (responses to challenges to learning critical
thinking, including time and effort, negative evaluations, and resistance to effortful learning).
Discussion An optimal learning environment for critical thinking was actively created by faculty to establish a safe environment and shared understanding of
expectations. Understanding how to produce a conducive learning climate is paramount in teaching essential topics such as critical thinking. These findings have potential utility for faculty development initiatives to optimize the learning environment.
关键词：Learning environment ; Critical thinking ; Qualitative research
