ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: Nurse educators are increasingly challenged in preparing future nurses to be creative thinkers. The purpose of this innovative quality improvement initiative is to share nursing students' interpretations of the value arts-based pedagogy (ABP) brings to their nursing practice. METHODS: Braun and Clarke's approach to thematic analysis was utilized to identify and report patterns of ideas within learners' interpretations of engaging in an ABP assignment. RESULTS: The analysis of students' interpretations led to the creation of a novel conceptual model to encourage and support nurse educators in the use of innovative ABP approaches. CONCLUSIONS: ABP can be seamlessly integrated within teaching and learning methodologies to cultivate meaningful student learning. IMPLICATIONS FOR INTERNATIONAL AUDIENCE: The intent of the conceptual model is to encourage and support nurse educators in the use of innovative ABP approaches designed for engaging nursing students in active, creative, and challenging learning environments.
Subject(s)
Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate , Students, Nursing , Humans , Learning , Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate/methods , Creativity , Curriculum , Nursing Education ResearchABSTRACT
There is nearly a century of educational research that has demonstrated that three option multiple-choice questions (MCQs) are as valid and reliable as four or five option, yet this format continues to be underutilized in educational institutions. This replication study was a quasi-experimental between groups research design conducted at three Canadian schools of nursing to examine the psychometric properties of three option MCQs when compared to the more traditional four option questions. Data analysis revealed that there were no statistically significant differences in the item discrimination, difficulty or mean examination scores when MCQs were administered with three versus four option answer choices.
Subject(s)
Educational Measurement/methods , Nursing Education Research/methods , Educational Measurement/statistics & numerical data , Evidence-Based Practice , Humans , Nursing Education Research/statistics & numerical data , Psychometrics/statistics & numerical data , Reproducibility of ResultsABSTRACT
Nurse educators teach students to develop an informed nursing practice but can educators claim the same grounding in the available evidence when formulating multiple-choice assessment tools to evaluate student learning? Multiple-choice questions are a popular assessment format within nursing education. While widely accepted as a credible format to assess student knowledge across disciplines, debate exists among educators regarding the number of options necessary to adequately test cognitive reasoning and optimal discrimination between student abilities. The purpose of this quasi-experimental between groups study was to examine the psychometric properties of three option multiple-choice questions when compared to the more traditional four option questions. Data analysis revealed that there were no statistically significant differences in the item discrimination, difficulty or the mean examination scores when multiple-choice test questions were administered with three versus four option answer choices. This study provides additional guidance for nurse educators to assist in improving multiple-choice question writing and test design.
Subject(s)
Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate/methods , Educational Measurement/methods , Mental Recall , Students, Nursing/psychology , Surveys and Questionnaires/standards , Thinking , Writing , Comprehension , Faculty, Nursing , Humans , Nursing Education Research , PsychometricsABSTRACT
Student clinical practice is a significant and essential part of nursing education. Accordingly, clinical placements need to be positive and valuable. The purpose of this study was to describe newly-graduated nurses' perceptions of their student clinical intersession placements and how these placements impacted their functioning as graduate nurses. Inductive semantic analysis of the data revealed four themes: developing nursing skills and knowledge; preparing for future employment; experiencing supportive relationships; and experiencing realities of work-life. Educators must ensure that clinical placements are in an environment that is conducive to learning and promotes the personal and professional development of nursing students. Positive clinical experiences are more likely related to how valued and supported students feel than the physical aspects of a placement; thus, it is imperative educators assess and focus on providing placements that offer a supportive learning environment.
