졸업학년 간호대학생의 디지털 리터러시와 임상추론 역량 관계에서 비판적 사고의 매개효과

This study aimed to examine the mediating effect of critical thinking on the relationship between digital literacy and clinical reasoning competence among senior nursing students and to provide evidence for developing instructional strategies in digital-based nursing education. A descriptive survey design was employed. Participants were 124 fourth-year nursing students from a university located in K city, Republic of Korea. Data were collected using structured questionnaires from October 1 to October 15, 2025. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, one-way analysis of variance with Scheffé post hoc tests, and Pearson’s correlation coefficients. The mediating effect was examined using Hayes’ PROCESS macro (Model 4) with 5,000 bootstrap samples and 95% confidence intervals. Clinical reasoning competence differed significantly according to academic achievement (F=8.08, p< .01). Digital literacy showed significant positive correlations with critical thinking (r= .42, p< .01) and clinical reasoning competence (r= .54, p< .01), and critical thinking was also positively correlated with clinical reasoning competence (r= .55, p< .01). Mediation analysis controlling for academic achievement revealed that critical thinking partially mediated the relationship between digital literacy and clinical reasoning competence (indirect effect= .17, 95% CI .05~ .33). These findings suggest the need for educational designs that integrate the enhancement of digital literacy and critical thinking to strengthen clinical reasoning competence among senior nursing students.