Student-Perceived Influences on Performance During Simulation

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Healthcare Simulation
• Performance Evaluation

Background:

• Simulation context is crucial for effective learning and valid performance assessment.
• Understanding student perspectives on simulation barriers is essential for high-stakes testing.
• Simulation fidelity and its impact on learning outcomes require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify student-perceived influences on performance within simulation environments.
• To explore contextual barriers encountered by students during simulation exercises.
• To inform the use of simulation for high-stakes assessment in nursing education.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative descriptive study design.
• Inclusion of 29 senior nursing students.
• Data collection via vocalized thoughts during simulation and reflective debriefing.
• Thematic analysis of transcribed data.

Main Results:

• Student performance was negatively affected by anxiety and uncertainty.
• Technological limitations and lack of experience with patient conditions impacted performance.
• Limited prior simulation-based learning experiences were noted among participants.

Conclusions:

• Factors influencing simulation performance require deeper understanding.
• Caution is advised before implementing pass-or-fail decisions based on simulation.
• Further research is needed to validate simulation as a high-stakes assessment tool.