Creating tension: undergraduate student nurses' responses to a problem-based learning curriculum.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Pedagogy
• Qualitative Research

Background:

• Problem-based learning (PBL) is an educational approach increasingly adopted in healthcare professions.
• Understanding student experiences within PBL is crucial for optimizing its implementation.
• Traditional educational methods often contrast with the principles of PBL.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore undergraduate student nurses' perceptions of participating in a problem-based learning program.
• To identify the benefits and disadvantages associated with problem-based learning from the students' perspective.
• To understand the phenomenon of 'creating tension' within the problem-based learning context.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative data were collected from 45 undergraduate student nurses.
• A modified grounded theory methodology was employed for data analysis.
• The study focused on student experiences within a problem-based learning program.

Main Results:

• Students perceived considerable benefits from problem-based learning.
• Significant disadvantages were also identified, categorized as 'creating tension'.
• 'Creating tension' encompassed difficulties in 'making the transition' from traditional education and 'remembering the aims' related to knowledge acquisition.

Conclusions:

• The transition to problem-based learning from traditional methods poses challenges for student nurses.
• Maintaining focus on the core aims of learning, particularly knowledge acquisition, is vital.
• Recommendations for educational practice and future research are proposed based on these findings.