Self-assessment, reflection on practice and critical thinking in nursing students José Siles-González ⁎, Carmen Solano-Ruiz Research Group Culture of Care, Nursing Department, University of Alicante, 03080 Alicante, Spain abstract article info Article history: Received 3 February 2016 Received in revised form 30 June 2016 Accepted 8 July 2016 Available online xxxx In accordance with the principles of the European Higher Education Area, the aim of this study was to contribute to the implementation of self-assessment through the application of reflection on learning and critical thinking. The theoretical framework employed was Habermas's critical theory and emancipatory interest as a preliminary step to generate educational transformations. The methodological contribution is the design a student self- assessment document that promotes reflection on action and critical thinking. Results and Discussion: The development of assessment through peer evaluation and other intermediate solutions until achieving self-assessment entails a shift in the educational and scientific paradigm, but also involves the implementation in practice of democratic and ethical principles, values and premises in society. Self- assessment is a novel concept for students, and obliges them to reinterpret their role. Due to the diversity of stu- dents' principles, values, motivations, interests and aspirations, this reinterpretation of their role can have a pos- itive outcome, stimulating an active and critical attitude towards group work and self-assessment; or, on the contrary, can generate a stance characterised by disinterest, passivity and lack of critical thinking. Conclusions: The forms of assessment adopted in a given educational system reflect ways of thinking related to ide- ologies, values, ethical principles and educational paradigms: in order to render implementation of effective self- assessment feasible, it is necessary to undertake structural and regulatory reforms. Students have little experience of reflection on practice or critical thinking. Massification and cultural and structural factors determine the form of assessment. In this context, it would seem advisable to move towards self-assessment gradually and cautiously. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: European Higher Education Area Self-assessment Critical thinking in nursing Reflection on action 1. Introduction Assessment constitutes one of the pillars of education and the teaching-learning process. Each society develops different forms of as- sessment that reflect its ideological, economic and cultural characteristics and which vary according to the nature of the social group. Assessment always entails an evaluation of the worth or performance of something or someone, and depending on when and by whom the evaluation is conducted, may take the form of initial, process, shared, peer or self- assessment (Angulo Rasco, 1994). Regardless, assessment constitutes the cornerstone that determines all the other elements comprising the curriculum. The different forms of assessment have gone “(…) from ex- pert authority-based models to a critical model based on democratisation of university education and the principle of student responsibility for learning and, therefore, assessment” (Trigueros Cervantes, Rivera García and De la Torre Navarro, 2012a, p. 473). One of the goals of the European Higher Education Area (ANECA, 2003) is to transform assessment systems based on academic authority into systems based on active and responsible student involvement (Fernández, 2003). This requires a series of parallel changes that contrib- ute to transforming the mentality, beliefs, attitudes and values of all stake- holders involved in the teaching-learning process; changes that involve the educational paradigm, democratic thought, responsible participation, reflection on learning and critical thinking (Siles and Solano, 2011). 2. Rationale The overall aim of this study was to facilitate student self-assessment through reflection on learning and critical thinking. To this end, we designed and implemented a self-assessment document to achieve the following specific objectives: - Enhance students' critical self-assessment of their overall performance in the teaching-learning process. - Stimulate reflective and critical self-assessment of time/effort and strengths/weaknesses in the teaching-learning process. - Reflect critically on self-assessment, identifying any subjective biases that may influence it. Nurse Education Today 45 (2016) 132–137 ⁎ Corresponding author. E-mail addresses: jose.siles@ua.es (J. Siles-González), carmen.solano@ua.es (C. Solano-Ruiz). http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2016.07.005 0260-6917/© 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Nurse Education Today journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/nedt