Some considerations concerning practice and feedback in nursing education

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Education Theory
• Nursing Practice

Background:

• Dominant reflective practice and experiential learning approaches in Australia and the UK are examined.
• These methods appear to adopt a narrow perspective on the roles of practice and feedback in learning.
• Existing educational frameworks may not fully address the complexities of skill acquisition and knowledge integration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the functions of practice and feedback in human learning from a cognitive psychological viewpoint.
• To critique the limitations of current reflective practice and experiential learning techniques.
• To explore how these approaches might inadvertently perpetuate the theory-practice gap in nursing.

Main Methods:

• Cognitive psychological analysis of learning functions.
• Critical review of established reflective practice and experiential learning models.
• Theoretical argumentation regarding the impact on action tendencies and the theory-practice gap.

Main Results:

• Current reflective practice and experiential learning models may offer a restricted understanding of learning processes.
• These approaches risk reinforcing maladaptive action tendencies instead of correcting them.
• The identified weaknesses could contribute to the persistence of the theory-practice divide in nursing.

Conclusions:

• A cognitive psychological perspective reveals limitations in current reflective practice and experiential learning.
• Schönian reflective practice and certain experiential techniques may consolidate, rather than resolve, inappropriate action tendencies.
• Revising these educational strategies is crucial to bridge the theory-practice gap in nursing education and practice.