Thinking strategies of baccalaureate nursing students prompted by self-regulated learning strategies

• Published in: The Journal of nursing education Vol. 49; no. 8; pp. 429 - 436
• Main Authors: Kuiper, RuthAnne, Murdock, Nancy, Grant, Nancy
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States SLACK INCORPORATED 01.08.2010
• Subjects: Adult; Attitude of Health Personnel; Audit trails; Clinical Competence; Clinical medicine; Cultural differences; Decision making; Education; Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate - organization & administration; Evidence-based nursing; Female; Hospitals; Humans; Internal Medicine - education; Learning Strategies; Male; Mandatory Programs; Models, Educational; Models, Nursing; North Carolina; Nurses; Nursing; Nursing Education Research; Nursing Students; Perioperative Nursing - education; Professional Education; Program Evaluation; Sample size; Self Efficacy; Self-Assessment; Students, Nursing - psychology; Teaching Methods; Thinking; Time Factors; Writing; North Carolina; United States > US
• ISSN: 0148-4834; 1938-2421
• DOI: 10.3928/01484834-20100430-01

The standard in nursing education today is to prepare nurses for future practice through generic programs with a culminating practicum experience. The clinical faculty in this program was interested in evaluating differences in student thinking strategies that occurred as a result of an increase from 60 to 120 clinical hours, coupled with reflective journaling. The Self-Regulated Learning model was used as a conceptual support for the journaling prompts, as well as a structure for narrative analysis. the 120-hour practicum group revealed a greater use of metacognitive self-evaluation strategies versus greater use of behavioral self-monitoring strategies by the 60-hour practicum group. This finding suggests that although self-observation and self-monitoring are important and desired thinking habits to develop in nursing students, an increase to 120 hours is beneficial. It promotes a greater use of self-evaluation of thinking and greater levels of self-efficacy in making decisions to solve clinical problems.