The Multidimensional Nature of Relationships: The Perceptions of Iranian Nursing Students and Educators of the Student-Educator Relationship

The student-educator relationship in nursing is very important to the success of teaching and learning. The perceptions of students and educators of this relationship affect its success. Therefore, it is necessary to better understand this relationship.

The purpose of the current study was to explore Iranian nursing students' and educators' perceptions of student-educator relationship in clinical nursing education.

In this conventional content analysis study, eight Bachelor of Nursing students and 10 clinical nursing educators from nursing and midwifery school in Mashhad (Iran) participated. Purposive sampling was used to select participants. Data were gathered using semistructured interviews. To analyze data, a conventional content analysis approach was used to identify meaning units and their condensation and to make codes and create categories

: Results showed that the multidimensional nature of the student-educator relationship in clinical nursing education consists of (a) dimensions related to the educator, (b) dimensions related to the student, and (c) dimensions of relationship quality. Each of these categories is composed of codes that showed the perception of participants about the nature of relationship.

On the basis of the unique features and attributes regarding relationship perceptions in clinical nursing education identified among the participants of this study, students and educators in Iran should pay greater attention to establishing the relationship as it relates to these attributes.