Perceptions of postbasic nursing students in the use of seminars as a teaching method

With the transformation of education in the country, and the outcomes-based education that is learner-centred fast gaining ground, nurse educators need to revisit the teaching methods and consider those that will foster reflective thinking through interactive constructing process. These methods, according to Cropley and Dave (1978:196) prepare learners for lifelong learning and to challenge problems in the working world. A descriptive and exploratory study using descriptive naïve sketches to collect data from 44 final year post basic nursing students at a university was undertaken. The students volunteered to take part in the study. A content analysis according to Tesch's (in Cresswell 1994:55) method was used. A follow-up interview using an open-ended question to gather more in depth information as well as to validate the collected data was done with 10 students from the previous sample. Four positive and three negative categories and their sub-categories were identified namely: Positive categories:- encourage active participation, professional growth and maturity, facilitate reflective thinking, encourage facilitative communication and interpersonal skills. Negative categories were:- time consuming, causes conflict amongst students, inability to teach becomes an obstacle. A literature control was conducted to support and confirm the findings. Concluding remarks and recommendations for effective use of seminar as a teaching method are made.