Using Motion Picture Films to Teach Nursing Theory in Graduate Nursing Education

Teaching strategies that use pedagogy of inquiry and contextualization are needed to ensure that nursing students will be well prepared to manage increasingly complex patient information. The rationale for using motion pictures to teach theoretical thinking is explained, and an assignment that uses motion pictures is described. Film scene assignments facilitate learning theoretical thinking skills, reading clinical situations, and understanding how theory can be useful to problem-solve ambiguous clinical situations. Motion pictures present a text-in-motion that can be studied and analyzed in a repeatable, objective, and collaborative way.