<![CDATA[Background: Critical thinking is essential for nursing students to make accurate clinical decisions. This study evaluates the Tribhuwana Nursing Student Academic Support Group (TNS-ASG), a four-session case-analysis and problem-based mentoring program designed to enhance critical thinking skills and explore students' learning experiences.Methods: A sequential explanatory mixed-methods design with a single-group pretest–posttest approach was conducted with 34 nursing students at Universitas Tribhuwana Tunggadewi, Malang, who completed the program (from 44 initially recruited; 10 dropped out due to scheduling conflicts). Quantitative data were analyzed using paired t-tests for the total score and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests for subdimensions. Qualitative data from semi-structured interviews, journals, and observations underwent thematic analysis.Results: Participation in the program was significantly associated with improved overall critical thinking scores, with a mean paired change of 5.44 points (t = -2.560, p = .015, d = 0.44). Significant gains were also observed in the subdimensions of interpretation (p = .021), analysis (p = .024), evaluation (p = .032), explanation (p = .015), and self-regulation (p = .016). Qualitatively, students reported an enhanced ability to analyze clinical cases, evaluate articles, and articulately express arguments, although limited time and fear of making mistakes remained key barriers.Conclusion: The TNS-ASG pedagogical model provides promising preliminary evidence for enhancing nursing students' critical thinking competencies, demonstrated]]>
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