Service Learning in the Nursing Bachelor Thesis: A Mixed-Methods Study
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Methods
2.1. Study Design
2.2. Description of the Teaching Innovation Project
2.3. Study Context
2.4. Study Participants
2.5. Data Collection
- (1)
- Upon starting the module, students provided a narrative account of their expectations and again upon completion of the module to discuss whether they had met these expectations. At this final stage, they also completed a questionnaire about SL, created in Spanish and validated in an academic university context, the dimensions of which demonstrated adequate reliability (0.871–0.941) [26]. This questionnaire covered 6 dimensions and had 16 questions in total. However, to present the results of this study, only two of these dimensions were selected: general and soft skills (questions 7 and 8) and overall satisfaction (questions 13–16). The other questions referred directly to SL and were outside of the Kirkpatrick’s training evaluation model [23]. In addition, the questionnaire contained 4 open questions to garner student opinions of their experience completing the BT, such as what completing this work meant to them, the experiment, meeting expectations and areas for improvement.
- (2)
- During the process, the mentors measured the students’ progress through use of a field diary as a means of observing the experiment.
- (3)
- Clinical nurses were interviewed by researchers. A semi-structured interview was carried out covering the following areas: assessment of the innovation, utility and strategies to improve the student–mentor–nurse working relationship.
2.6. Data Analysis
2.7. Ethical Considerations
3. Findings
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Supplementary Materials
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Instrument | Participants | Data Collection | Data Analysis | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Level 1: Reaction | Narrative about expectations before and after | Students | Before and at the end of the experiment | Qualitative (content analysis) |
Level 2: Learning | Questionnaire about SL (competency and satisfaction) | Students | At the end of the experiment | Quantitative (means and standard deviations) |
Level 3: Behaviour | Open questions from the questionnaire about SL | Students | At the end of the experiment | Qualitative (content analysis) |
Level 4: Results | Semi-structured interview | Nurses | At the end of the experiment | Qualitative (content analysis) |
Field diary | Mentors | Continuously throughout |
Area of Explored Content | Categories | Definitions | Units of Meaning |
---|---|---|---|
Characteristics of the BT | Utility | Value placed in the BT | “…I feel like my work is useful if it can be applied to clinical practice and not just be something I remember or something I can show to the tribunal.” (PS1) “…the BT is innovative for the whole nursing field; it is well recognised and its usefulness goes beyond the personal level.” (PS8) |
Complexity | Perception of difficulties and overcoming them | “…completing this task requires a lot of determination and thorough research for relevant, high-quality information.” (PS4) “…it’s a very current topic and the fact you create it from scratch implies more dedication and time spent.” (PS6) | |
BT as a process | A learning process | The end process in which the BT is viewed as a source of training and competence development | “This research has positively impacted my learning as a future nurse (learning new skills in a topic, carrying out protocols, performing techniques step-by-step, finding up-to-date scientific information with the most possible evidence, etc.)…” (PS5) “…it’s a task where you have to be on top of so many aspects: presentation, reliable articles, databases, up-to-date information… It’s the last academic step before becoming a nurse.” (PS3) |
A professionalising process that goes hand-in-hand with clinical practice | A process of continuity between theory and clinical practice and the shaping of the profession | “…as students and future nurses, we have to empower our situation and make nursing more public and more recognised.” (PS7) “…the creation of a nursing protocol has also motivated me to carry it out, as it could be used within real healthcare practice.” (PS8) |
(1 = Very Unsatisfied; 2 = Unsatisfied; 3 = Neutral; 4 = Satisfied; 5 = Very Satisfied) | M * | SD * |
---|---|---|
Project planning | 4.00 | 1.12 |
Institution involvement | 3.33 | 1.22 |
Student involvement | 4.44 | 0.73 |
Learning outcomes achieved | 4.44 | 0.73 |
Relationship between theory and practice | 4.33 | 0.87 |
Assessment carried out | 3.33 | 1.12 |
Learning activities carried out | 3.89 | 1.05 |
Resources for performing activities | 3.44 | 1.24 |
Activity schedules | 3.33 | 1.50 |
Participants I do activities with | 3.89 | 1.17 |
Coordination between mentors and institution | 4.00 | 1.41 |
Mentor follow-up | 4.11 | 1.45 |
Service carried out | 4.22 | 0.97 |
(1 = Very Unsatisfied; 2 = Unsatisfied; 3 = Neutral; 4 = Satisfied; 5 = Very Satisfied) | M * | SD * |
---|---|---|
Analysis and summary skills | 4.67 | 0.50 |
Knowledge and understanding of ideas or concepts | 4.56 | 0.73 |
Organisation and planning | 4.56 | 0.73 |
Information management | 4.44 | 0.72 |
Independent work | 4.44 | 0.88 |
Oral and written communication | 4.33 | 0.71 |
Upholding ethical responsibility | 4.11 | 1.05 |
Caring about quality and improvement | 4.11 | 1.05 |
Critical thinking | 3.89 | 1.17 |
Designing and managing projects | 3.78 | 1.09 |
Decision making | 3.67 | 1.00 |
Adapting to new situations | 3.67 | 1.12 |
Being creative and innovative | 3.67 | 1.22 |
Assessing sustainability of proposals and performance | 3.67 | 1.00 |
Showing initiative and a forward-thinking attitude | 3.56 | 1.13 |
Problem solving | 3.33 | 1.22 |
Assessing social and environmental impact of performance | 3.22 | 1.56 |
ICT skills | 3.00 | 1.73 |
Leadership | 3.00 | 1.41 |
Foreign language skills | 2.75 | 1.49 |
Recognising diversity and multiculturalism | 2.67 | 1.87 |
Working in a team | 2.56 | 2.19 |
Expressing feelings | 2.44 | 1.51 |
Negotiation | 2.00 | 2.12 |
Area of Explored Content | Categories | Definitions | Units of Meaning |
---|---|---|---|
Applicability of skills in context | Acquired skills | Application of skills gained throughout training | “…the BT has allowed me to develop many skills related to evidence-based practice, biostatistics, pathophysiology, anatomy, physiology, and nursing care.” (PS11) “…applying general skills such as summarisation, prioritising information, knowing how to reference, good use of language, among others.” (PS13) |
Useful skills | Satisfaction with certain skills considered to be convenient or useful in completing the BT | “…the fact we’ve been able to do so many written tasks throughout the degree has also improved how we summarise and present our ideas.” (PS10) “Not only are acquired skills important, as they’re the foundation of our performance as nursing professionals, but also how we apply these concepts and the skills we learned during this time.” (PS10) | |
Skills for further development | Incorporating new skills to improve the BT process | “…more training in research skills would be needed and also how to do certain tasks, like protocols.” (PS11) “…we’re missing methodology. I think we have very superficial knowledge to be writing a BT.” (PS12) |
Area of Explored Content | Categories | Definitions | Units of Meaning |
---|---|---|---|
BT as a final curricular process | Learning | Value as a means to assess student competence acquired throughout education | “I think that apart from bringing together the different learning outcomes of the degree in a more theoretical and academic way, it also allows students to branch into research skills in a practical manner.” (PM2) “It’s clear that the BT functions as a final assessment method in the nursing degree.” (PM2) |
Utility | Value of the BT when incorporated into clinical practice and for party cooperation (mentors and nurses) | “… [the BT has] value not only for its innovative nature, but also for the learning potential and transferable skills to clinical practice.” (PN6) “It lets academics and clinicians work together in a team [through] shared tutorial sessions.” (PN2) | |
Facilitators and barriers in incorporating SL and the BT | Facilitators | Aspects that have helped develop this category of BT | “It increases satisfaction rates among students.” (PM2) “…student motivation has been outstanding.” (PM1) |
Barriers | Aspects that have created difficulties | “More work for mentors in terms of hours, despite the economic benefits…” (PM1) “Coordination between different parties has to improve to achieve a higher quality product.” (PN5) |
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Roca, J.; Gros Navés, S.; Canet-Velez, O.; Torralbas-Ortega, J.; Tort-Nasarre, G.; Postic, T.; Martínez, L. Service Learning in the Nursing Bachelor Thesis: A Mixed-Methods Study. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19, 12387. https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph191912387
Roca J, Gros Navés S, Canet-Velez O, Torralbas-Ortega J, Tort-Nasarre G, Postic T, Martínez L. Service Learning in the Nursing Bachelor Thesis: A Mixed-Methods Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2022; 19(19):12387. https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph191912387
Chicago/Turabian StyleRoca, Judith, Silvia Gros Navés, Olga Canet-Velez, Jordi Torralbas-Ortega, Glòria Tort-Nasarre, Tijana Postic, and Laura Martínez. 2022. "Service Learning in the Nursing Bachelor Thesis: A Mixed-Methods Study" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19, no. 19: 12387. https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph191912387