Comparative effectiveness of cybernetic-based instruction and traditional lecture method on nursing students'...

Cybernetics describes how systems regulate performance through feedback control by setting goals, monitoring current states, comparing against a standard, and adapting actions to reduce discrepancies. In teaching, this feedback-loop logic can be operationalized as structured cycles of goal clarification, guided information seeking, peer sense-making, and formative feedback. However, evidence on a cybernetic-based instructional approach (CBI) for undergraduate nursing achievement remains limited in low-resource higher-education settings.

To compare the effects of Cybernetic-Based Instruction and the traditional lecture method on the academic achievement of undergraduate nursing students in maternal and child health nursing.

A quasi-experimental, non-equivalent group pretest-posttest study was conducted among fourth-year nursing students at Bayero University, Kano, Nigeria. Two intact cohorts from successive academic sessions received the same course content over a 13-week module. The 2024/2025 cohort received CBI (objective-driven inquiry, explicit credibility appraisal, peer synthesis, and iterative instructor/peer feedback), while the 2023/2024 cohort received conventional didactic lectures (PowerPoint/whiteboard with scheduled Q&A). Achievement was measured using a 50-item Maternal and Child Health Nursing Achievement Test (MCHNAT) administered pre- and post-instruction under supervised conditions. Analyses used within- and between-group tests and ANCOVA adjusting for pretest scores (α = 0.05).

Both groups improved significantly from pretest to posttest (p < 0.001). The CBI cohort achieved higher post-test scores and larger gains than the lecture cohort (73.12 ± 8.96 vs 60.62 ± 4.49; p < 0.001) and greater mean gain (31.59 ± 8.37 vs 17.94 ± 4.54; p < 0.001), and the adjusted between-group difference remained significant after controlling for baseline scores. ANCOVA confirmed a significant adjusted advantage for CBI (B = 13.13; 95% CI: 11.30-14.97; p < 0.001; partial ηp² = 0.554; R² = 0.605).

A structured cybernetic feedback-loop approach was associated with higher short-term achievement than lecturing. Further multi-site studies should examine longer-term retention and transfer, and strengthen internal validity where feasible.