Teaching metaphors of student nurses

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Qualitative Research
• Social Constructivism

Background:

• Understanding student perceptions of teaching is crucial for effective pedagogy.
• Metaphorical language offers a unique lens into students' lived experiences of university teaching.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the metaphors nursing students employ to describe their university teachers' practices.
• To analyze how these metaphors shape and reflect student understanding of teaching.

Main Methods:

• A social constructivist approach was used to interpret student language.
• Qualitative analysis of student-generated metaphors describing teaching experiences.

Main Results:

• Students frequently use metaphors to articulate their teaching experiences in nursing programs.
• Metaphors identified include 'teacher as umpire,' 'teacher as student,' 'teaching with distance,' and 'teaching the big picture.'
• Metaphors were categorized as constructive, extending understanding, or reflective, reinforcing existing notions of teaching.

Conclusions:

• Student metaphors provide a rich source of insight into the perceived effectiveness of nursing education.
• Specific metaphors can serve as valuable tools for nursing educators to reflect on and refine their pedagogical approaches.