A pedagogical framework for facilitating parents' learning in nurse-parent partnership

Area of Science:

• Child and Family Nursing
• Pedagogy
• Parental Education

Background:

• Nursing practice increasingly requires expertise beyond specialization, particularly in child and family nursing.
• Partnership with parents of at-risk young children necessitates respectful, negotiated, and empowering interactions.
• Existing literature emphasizes communication and relational skills in nursing partnerships, with less focus on facilitating parental learning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a pedagogical framework for nurses to facilitate parental learning within child and family nursing partnerships.
• To explore how nurses' capacities to notice and respond to parent-child dynamics can enhance parental strengths and promote positive change.
• To offer a new perspective on partnership as a mind-expanding process for parents, with a defined role for nurses.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of data from home visiting, day-stay, and specialist toddler clinic services in Sydney.
• Development of a pedagogical framework based on nurses' observations and interactions with parents.
• Examination of how nurses utilize 'noticing' as a catalyst for parental learning and development.

Main Results:

• Nurses' ability to 'notice' aspects of children, parents, and interactions serves as a catalyst for parental growth.
• This noticing facilitates building on parental strengths, enhancing guided learning, and challenging unhelpful beliefs.
• Challenges within partnerships were observed to be integrated into learning processes, empowering parents as agents of change.

Conclusions:

• The proposed pedagogical framework redefines partnership as a mind-expanding experience for parents.
• Nurses play a crucial role in facilitating this learning process through embodied and communicative expertise.
• The framework emphasizes the importance of sensory and reported channels in nurses' ability to notice and respond effectively.