A phenomenological evaluation: using storytelling as a primary teaching method

This phenomenological study examines the experiences of students who had been enrolled in an undergraduate women's health issues course where storytelling served as one of the primary teaching and learning tools. Using hermeneutic phenomenology, the investigator explored the perceptions of participants at the conclusion of the course. A purposive sample of 10 students made up the focus group. Themes were explicated and analyzed from interviews until data saturation was reached. Content analysis from focus groups revealed three themes: personalizing learning, participatory learning, and group trust/safe environment. Storytelling provided students with an opportunity to become more actively involved, provided a forum to relate real life examples to concrete didactic data, served as a trigger for information recollection, and made material seem more realistic. The increased discussion and interaction within the classroom setting enabled students to probe alternative views and perspectives in the class room. The use of more diverse teaching tools can enhance the students' experiences in the classroom setting.     

Experiential learning and andragogy--negotiated learning in nurse education: a critical appraisal

Andragogy and experiential learning have frequently been cited as recommended approaches to aspects of nurse education. This paper offers a critical appraisal of the two approaches and offers suggestions as to how a negotiated nursing curriculum may be developed.     

New mothers' experiences of postpartum care — a phenomenological follow-up study

? The aim of this study is to explore and describe the new mother's experiences of postpartum care. It is part of an ongoing clinical longitudinal research project studying experiences of health, suffering and care and the organizational culture of Finnish maternity care. ? Postpartum care is seldom either technological or dramatic and has been shown to take low priority in both practice and research. ? This article uses the theoretical perspective of Eriksson as a basis for discussing insights gained from the phenomenological study. ? Nine women were interviewed at the end of their pregnancy, and 3 weeks, 3 month and 2 1/2 years after giving birth. ? The research approach was that of Colaizzi, which has its roots in phenomenological philosophy, and which attempts to present accurately the lived experiences of those studied. ? Data suggest that the transitional process from being an expectant mother to being a new mother occurs slowly but intensely in a unique way during the first days after the baby is born. ? The new mother experiences caring communion in sharing her life situation with the midwife, learning directly through the midwife's teaching and indirectly when the midwife enables her to be in peace and quiet together with her baby and family. ? Other new mothers are caring towards the woman reciprocally, sharing the same situation, helping one another and learning together. ? Three challenges in postpartum care emerge from this study. These are to understand the meaning of caring, to involve family and other new mothers more consciously, and to see the woman as a new mother who needs both to care and be cared for both by her family and friends and by professional carers.     

‘I'm not an outsider,I'm his mother!’ A phenomenological enquiry into carer experiences of exclusion from acute psychiatric settings

Contemporary standards and policies advocate carer involvement in planning, implementing, and evaluating mental health services. Critics have questioned why such standards and policies fail to move from rhetoric to reality, this particularly being applicable to carer involvement within acute psychiatric settings. As there is only limited UK research on this topic, this interpretive phenomenological study was undertaken to explore the perceived level of involvement from the perspective of carers of service users who were admitted to acute inpatient settings within the previous 2 years. Interviews were conducted with four individuals who cared for a loved one with a mental illness. The interview analysis was influenced by Van Manen, whose interpretive approach seeks to generate a deeper understanding of the phenomenon under study. Four main themes emerged: powerlessness, feeling isolated, needing to be recognized and valued, and a desire for partnership. The findings reflect the views expressed by carers in other studies, identifying that while carers seek to work in partnership with health‐care professionals, at a clinical level they often feel excluded. The study concludes by discussing ways of improving and promoting carer involvement and advocating a partnership in care approach within acute psychiatry.     

Using a phenomenological research technique to examine student nurses' understandings of experiential teaching and learning: a critical review of methodological issues

This paper provides a report of the usage of a phenomenological research methodology to investigate the influence on clinical practice of pre- and post-registration nurse education which makes explicit use of experiential teaching and learning approaches. The primary aim of the research was to explore the use of a phenomenological research methodology to examine the students'understanding of experiential teaching and learning. The claims made for the use of experiential teaching and learning approaches in both pre- and post-registration nurse courses and how clinical practice is influenced by the experiential learning elements of pre- and post-registration nurse education were also examined. The first stage of the enquiry involved focused non-directive interviews with members of BSc Nursing Studies and MSc Mental Health Branch programmes. Both programmes claim to make use of experiential teaching and learning. The data were analysed using a technique developed by Giorgi. Previous experiences of experiential teaching and learning were probed, student interpretations differentiated, and the relationship between course-based learning using experiential approaches and the implications for it's influence on practice were examined. The second stage of the enquiry has followed up the initial findings, exploring the students'experience of experiential approaches on their courses both in the classroom and in work-based learning situations. The findings are presented and discussed in the context of other studies from both nurse and higher education. Throughout the paper methodological concerns arising are discussed. The paper concludes with the identification of methodological problems arising from the research strategy: the implications of the power nexus created when teachers research students, and issues relating to the use of a phenomenological methodology in a longitudinal study.     

The problem of clinical evaluation — a review

A review of the literature shows that clinical evaluation still poses problems for nurse educationalists despite its prominence in nurse education. Learning in nursing is a complex activity and clinical evaluation needs to take account of this.     

Technological competence as a fundamental structure of learning in critical care nursing: a phenomenological study

Post-registration education programmes are frequently informed by nationally agreed curriculum frameworks. Although these aim to promote comparability between similarly focused clinical courses, inconsistencies have recently been identified across a range of critical care curricula. This suggests that broad-based frameworks may be insufficiently sensitive to local learning needs. This study was concerned with the extent to which the curriculum met the learning needs of 10 post-registration critical care students and, in particular, aimed to explore the meaning of learning to the students themselves. The study revealed technological competence to be a necessary foundation to the development of clinical practice and this is discussed from a philosophical perspective which allows the nature of contemporary nursing practice to be reconceptualized. It is argued that curriculum development for clinically based, post-registration courses can be constructively informed by local consultation and that phenomenological study can complement more traditional approaches often relied upon in educational research.     

以问题为基础的教学法在护理教学查房中的应用与效果评价

目的探讨以问题为基础的教学法在护理教学查房中应用的效果。方法采用对照研究的方法。实验组在护理查房中采用以问题为基础的教学法,即护生按教学目标要求选择病例,在老师的指导下发现问题、分析问题和解决问题,老师对这些问题给予确认,并提出更深入的问题,以达到学习目的。对照组在护理查房中运用传统教学方法。结果两组护生在书写护理病历优良率、护理理论考试成绩、对护理查房效果的满意率方面比较,差异均具有统计学意义(P<0.05)。结论以问题为基础的教学法拓宽了护生的知识面,完善了护生的知识结构;提高了护生综合能力;提高了护理查房的质量。     

‘Consolidate or bust’ — the development and evaluation of an academic game in a student nurse introductory course

With nurse education in a state of flux the opportunity exists to reappraise the teaching methods currently used and to consider which will be the most appropriate to prepare the practitioner of the future. This paper examines the possible contribution of one particular teaching medium — the academic game — by describing the development and evaluation of a new game called ‘Consolidate or bust’. The game was introduced as part of a wider programme of curriculum development aimed at providing a more balanced introductory course for new student nurses. The results to date indicate that the application of experiential methods in general, and gaming in particular, constitute a valuable addition to more formal approaches and one that may be perceived very prositively by student nurses. The paper concludes with a call for nurse educators to critically examine their present practice and consider the wider application of less formal methods.     

“Learning by doing” – Or how to reach an understanding of the research method phenomenological hermeneutics

One problem addressed in teaching graduate students qualitative research methods is practising the cognitive and conative skills that students need to generate both rich data and meaningful analysis.The aim of the study was to illuminate development in a group of pre-doctoral and doctoral students as they learnt the phenomenological hermeneutics research method.In a course comprising 18 doctoral students we used the “guided path” pedagogical approach and decided to use a subject of which everyone has lived experience, “troubled conscience”, for the phenomenological hermeneutic analysis conducted with the students. As the students progressed in their learning experience of the research method, they analysed their data according to the steps in the method, and we as teachers conducted separate analyses of the same data.The results point in the same direction as previous studies in the field. This is discussed in terms of strength of the pedagogical approach and the students’ learning, since despite the fact that their data are limited and not very detailed they were able to come up with results that were in line with previous research.     

Chaos theory — a useful addition to the critical care curriculum?

Chaos theory (non-linear dynamics) is a relatively new mathematical concept. It shows that many apparently random processes and structures have in fact a simple underlying order. The theory is being applied increasingly to explain physiological processes and epidemiological findings, as well as in non-health areas, such as modelling weather systems. The author argues for its future inclusion as a modular option in post-registration critical care/high technology nursing courses.     

An evaluation of a workshop for teachers of nursing on an individualized teaching and learning strategy

This paper is concerned with the evaluation of a workshop for teachers of nursing devoted to an individualized teaching and learning strategy. The paper gives a brief account of the history of such workshops and continues by defining individualized teaching. Following this the characteristics of the Keller Plan strategy are outlined. This is followed by details of the course organization; its aims and objectives, and the characteristics of the course members. Finally, the method of evaluation is described and results are discussed.     

PBL教学法质量评价体系在中等职业护理教学中的进展

综述以问题为基础的学习(PBL)教学方法在中等职业护理教学中应用及其质量评价的研究进展,认为有关PBL教学质量的评价方法大多数还是采用传统的教学方法的结果性评价,加上学生的自我评价的方式,目前尚未见以专家访谈法、文献分析法和层次分析法从教师同行评价和学生对教师评价的角度构建中等职业护理PBL教学质量评价体系。     

‘Struggling to be an insider’: a phenomenological design of new nurses’ transition

Aims and objectives. To obtain a comprehensive understanding of the transition process of new nurses in Taiwan. Background. The transition period for new nurses can be a daunting and traumatic experience. The large number of newly graduated Taiwanese nurses who resign from their jobs within three months indicates that this process can be complicated. However, the problems associated with the experiences of new nurses have not yet been recognised. Design. We adopted a phenomenological design using focus group interviews. Methods. Sixteen new nurses (less than one year working experience) participated in eight weekly group interviews lasting two hours each to grasp their experience of ‘being new’. Interview data were analysed according to Sloan’s (2002) three moments, and the whole process of analysis followed the suggestions of Agar (1986) , which was performed in a close collaboration between researchers until the consensus about the findings could be reached. Results. The overarching pattern of the transition process of new nurses becoming experienced members of the clinical nursing team was revealed as a journey of ‘struggling to be an insider’. This phenomenon was characterised by four themes, including (1) ‘being new as being weak’, (2) ‘masking myself’, (3) ‘internalising the unreasonable’ and (4) ‘transforming myself to get a position’. Conclusions. While Western culture view abusive indoctrination of new nurses as toxic behaviour, under the Chinese traditions of yield, tolerance and self‐oppression, following the power hierarchy and seeking harmony, the transition of new nurses is interpreted differently. Relevance to clinical practice. Recognition of the journey of ‘struggling to be an insider’ helps nurse administrators to (1) gain a better understanding of what new nurses encounter in their transition process, (2) help new nurses without harm, (3) improve in‐service training programmes and (4) retain future nurses.     

评教评学双向评价模式在临床护理教学中的应用

目的:探讨评教评学双向评价模式在临床护理教学中的应用效果。方法:随机选择我院2011级实习护生124名为试验组,采用评教评学双向评价模式;2010级实习护生120名作为对照组,采用传统的单向评价模式。通过师生综合能力评价、理论与综合技能考核的方式进行评价。结果:试验组护生理论与综合技能考核成绩及对带教老师综合能力的评价均高于对照组(P<0.05),带教老师对试验组护生综合能力的评价高于对照组(P<0.05)。结论:评教评学双向评价模式应用于临床护理教学,既有利于加强临床护理教学质量的监控,又有利于护生核心胜任力的培养及带教老师综合能力的提高。