Nurse Education Tomorrow Conference 1990. The what and how of teaching research

Within the last decade nurse educators have been required to introduce research into the curriculum of every pre- and post-registration programme. This has lead to a debate concerning what practitioners need to know about research and about the best way to teach the research component of any educational programme. Two main approaches may be identified: facilitating research awareness and learning research by 'doing'. Both approaches raise a number of logistical and ethical problems. Certain of these problems are compounded by the large numbers of nurses who may be required to undertake a research project as a course component. Moreover, the absence of research evidence about the most effective means of educating nurses to become discerning consumers of research leaves the teacher without a sound framework to guide educational practice. In the light of recent educational reforms, this paper considers the unprecedented opportunities for nurse and midwife teachers to explore the role of research in the curriculum and in teaching.