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Published on: September 28, 2022
Using a virtual community to enhance cultural awareness
Jean Foret Giddens1, Sarah North, Linnea Carlson-Sabelli
1University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA. jgiddens@salud.unm.edu
Purpose:
Cultural competence is an expectation of professional practice, yet effectively teaching this concept to nursing students is challenging. The purpose of this study was to assess the use of a virtual community as a teaching application to foster cultural awareness among nursing students.
Method:
This correlational study involved the collection of two surveys from 342 first-semester students from five baccalaureate nursing programs that used The Neighborhood virtual community during one semester. Descriptive and comparative analyses were performed.
Findings:
Results suggest that use of the virtual community may have contributed to cultural awareness among student participants. There was a significant correlation between frequency of use and cultural awareness. Virtual communities may represent a useful teaching application for cultural competence in nursing education. Further research is needed to specifically test cultural competence education strategies using a virtual community platform.
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