Nurse--teacher behaviours in the clinical field: apparent effect on nursing students' learning

One primary source of feedback on the effectiveness of their teaching, which instructors may easily overlook, comprises of students' reactions. The purpose of this study is to identify students' perceptions of teacher behaviours, which either facilitate or hinder students' learning in the clinical field, and to determine if there is a difference in the perceptions of 1st and 2nd year students. This study is exploratory and descriptive in nature. Firstly, some research studies regarding effective clinical teaching in nursing are reviewed, followed by a discussion of the research design. The tool used for collecting data is a modified form of the critical incident technique. A description of illustrative incidents is requested within five divisions: professional competency, relationship, personal attributes, teaching methods, and evaluation of practice. A system for analysis and coding of data is then discussed. Finally, the finding of this study is presented. It would seem ot the investigator that students in 1st year are particularly sensitive to how the teacher makes them feel, whereas students in the 2nd year would seem to be more concerned with the teacher's competency in teaching. The teacher behaviours reported as helpful or hindering to students' learning, as identified by the students, are outlined.