Pedagogical and Subject Matter Knowledge of Novice Clinical Nurse Educators: An Ethnographic Investigation

The purpose of this study was to identify the pedagogical and subject matter knowledge and teaching practices novice nurse educators use in the clinical area. A focused ethnographic methodology, including 70 hours of observation of four novice educators, was used. Data were analyzed through a thematic process that drew upon the mathematical knowledge for teaching model. Findings revealed that novice educators more often drew upon their subject matter knowledge than their pedagogical knowledge when teaching in clinical patient areas. They may underutilize teaching methods to facilitate critical thinking and judgment.