Nursing student control over using a computer simulation program about empowering discourse

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Health Communication
• Educational Technology

Background:

• Nurses require effective patient education strategies.
• Empowering discourse is a challenging but crucial patient education intervention.
• Learning empowering discourse requires supportive educational methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate nursing students' control over a computer simulation designed for learning empowering discourse.
• To assess if sociodemographic background or study orientation impacts student control of the simulation.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive, comparative study involving 69 nursing students.
• Students completed an educational session followed by a computer simulation.
• Students responded to simulated patient statements using multiple-choice, open-ended, or combined methods across six content areas.

Main Results:

• All students utilized all available options within the computer simulation program.
• Student control over the simulation was consistent across diverse sociodemographic backgrounds and study orientations.
• Findings indicate students managed their learning effectively using the simulation.

Conclusions:

• Nursing students demonstrated control over the computer simulation for self-directed learning of empowering discourse.
• The computer simulation facilitates the construction of personal knowledge regarding empowering discourse.
• The program's effectiveness in fostering learning is independent of student background or orientation.