Making research real: embedding a longitudinal study in a taught research course for undergraduate nursing students

Learning how and why scholarly research underpins and informs professional nursing practice is a continual challenge for undergraduate nursing students. They find the language and methods of research to be unfamiliar and unsettling. The work of educators thus becomes the process of breaking down barriers to students' understanding of research processes and application. Such work is increasingly important in the current era of evidence based practice, where students must be competent in sourcing, critiquing and applying research to meet real clinical questions. In response, as lecturers who taught the course, Research for Health Professionals, we have reinvented how research is taught to second year undergraduate students. This article outlines our creative approach to facilitate students learning research theory and methodology by conducting a "real-life" research study in a local retirement community.