Nursing Students’ Perceptions about Effective Pedagogy: Netnographic Analysis

Abstract

Background Effective pedagogy that encourages high standards of excellence and commitment to lifelong learning is essential in health professions education to prepare students for real-life challenges such as health disparities and global health issues. Creative learning and innovative teaching strategies empower students with high-quality, practical, real-world knowledge and meaningful skills to reach their potential as future health care providers. Objective The aim of this study was to explore health profession students’ perceptions of whether their learning experiences were associated with good or bad pedagogy during asynchronous discussion forums. The further objective of the study was to identify how perceptions of the best and worst pedagogical practices reflected the students’ values, beliefs, and understanding about factors that made a pedagogy good during their learning history. Methods A netnographic qualitative design was employed in this study. The data were collected on February 3, 2020 by exporting archived data from multiple sessions of a graduate-level nursing course offered between the fall 2016 and spring 2020 semesters at a large private university in the southeast region of the United States. Each student was a data unit. As an immersive data operation, field notes were taken by all research members. Data management and analysis were performed with NVivo 12. Results A total of 634 posts were generated by 153 students identified in the dataset. Most of these students were female (88.9%). From the 97 categories identified, four themes emerged: (T) teacher presence built through relationship and communication, (E) environment conducive to affective and cognitive learning, (A) assessment and feedback processes that yield a growth mindset, and (M) mobilization of pedagogy through learner- and community-centeredness. Conclusions The themes that emerged from our analysis confirm findings from previous studies and provide new insights. Our study highlights the value of technology as a tool for effective pedagogy. A resourceful teacher can use various communication techniques to develop meaningful connections between the learner and teacher. Styles of communication will vary according to the unique expectations and needs of learners with different learning preferences; however, the aim is to fully engage each learner, establish a rapport between and among students, and nurture an environment characterized by freedom of expression in which ideas flow freely. We suggest that future research continue to explore the influence of differing course formats and pedagogical modalities on student learning experiences.

A Mapping Review of Netnography in Nursing

“…Of the total number of articles, 26.4% ( n = 14) reported that their study had been reviewed by an ethics board (Alang & Fomotar, 2015; Andréasson et al, 2018; Aragão et al, 2018; Boursier et al, 2022; Cano-Hila & Argemí-Baldich, 2021; Ellinghaus et al, 2021; Gün & Şenol, 2019; Kendal et al, 2017; Lawless et al, 2020, 2022; Moura & Aschemann-Witzel, 2021; Schuman et al, 2019; Vale et al, 2019; Wallace et al, 2018), while 56.6% ( n = 30) reported that their study had not been reviewed (Ari & Mari, 2021; Baptista et al, 2021; Bayen et al, 2021; Bîră et al, 2020; Björkman & Salzmann-Erikson, 2018; Botelle & Willott, 2020; Cuomo et al, 2020; Eriksson et al, 2014; Eriksson & Salzmann-Erikson, 2013, 2016b, 2018; Gatrell, 2019; Holmgren et al, 2018; Johansson & Andreasson, 2017; Keeling et al, 2015; Liang & Scammon, 2011; Manning Hutson et al, 2022; Nemec et al, 2018; Nimrod, 2011; Numer et al, 2022; Poppi, 2021; Salzmann-Erikson, 2016, 2017; Salzmann-Erikson & Eriksson, 2011; Saxena et al, 2021; Song, 2020; Strand, 2022, p. 202; Strand & Gustafsson, 2020; Thunborg & Salzmann-Erikson, 2017; Van Hout & Hearne, 2014); four articles reported that they had applied to an ethics review board (ERB) but had been deemed exempt because their work was not considered human subjects research (De Gagne et al, 2021; Giles et al, 2015; …”

La docencia universitaria en tiempos de Facebook: una investigación etnográfica digital sobre valoraciones estudiantiles

“…Adicionalmente, destacan estudios como el de De Gagne et al (2021), donde exploran las percepciones de los estudiantes sobre sus experiencias de aprendizaje en la universidad; el trabajo de Devkota (2021), que indagó sobre las desigualdades en el acceso a dispositivos tecnológicos para la educación a distancia durante la crisis sanitaria en el año 2020; y la investigación llevada a cabo por Ricoy y Feliz (2016), cuya propuesta es considerar el potencial de la red sociodigital Twitter como comunidad de aprendizaje.…”

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“…Adicionalmente, destacan estudios como el de De Gagne et al (2021), donde exploran las percepciones de los estudiantes sobre sus experiencias de aprendizaje en la universidad; el trabajo de Devkota (2021), que indagó sobre las desigualdades en el acceso a dispositivos tecnológicos para la educación a distancia durante la crisis sanitaria en el año 2020; y la investigación llevada a cabo por Ricoy y Feliz (2016), cuya propuesta es considerar el potencial de la red sociodigital Twitter como comunidad de aprendizaje.…”