Instructional responses to ethnically diverse nursing students

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Sociology of Education
• Cultural Competence in Healthcare

Background:

• Increasingly diverse student populations in nursing programs necessitate understanding effective teaching strategies.
• Existing literature lacks comprehensive theories on nurse educator interactions with ethnically diverse students.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify the processes nurse educators use to teach ethnically diverse nursing students.
• To develop a substantive theory explaining faculty responses and their consequences for students.

Main Methods:

• Grounded Theory Methodology was employed for data collection and analysis.
• In-depth interviews were conducted with 26 nurse educators and 17 ethnic minority nurses (Asian-Americans, African-Americans, Mexican-Americans).

Main Results:

• Identified a process of responding by nurse educators to ethnically diverse students.
• Described five distinct patterns of variation in faculty responses.
• Detailed potential positive and negative consequences of these interaction patterns.

Conclusions:

• Faculty interactions with ethnically diverse nursing students vary significantly.
• Understanding these patterns can inform pedagogical approaches to enhance student success.
• Further examination of faculty-student interactions is crucial for inclusive nursing education.