Nursing Students' Perceptions of Instructor Caring: An Instrument Based on Watson's Theory of Transpersonal Caring

Abstract

<h4>ABSTRACT</h4> <P>This study describes the development and testing of an instrument to measure nursing students' perceptions of instructor caring. Originally, 69 statements about instructors' caring behaviors, based on Watson's 10 carative factors, were created with Dr. Jean Watson. The Nursing Students' Perceptions of Instructor Caring (NSPIC) instrument uses a 6-point Likert scale for students' responses to the statements. After pretesting the instrument with a small group of nursing students, the NSPIC was tested with 133 baccalaureate nursing students. Based on item analysis, factor analysis, and student comments, the number of statements were reduced to 31. Psychometric testing revealed that the NSPIC is internally consistent (<img src="http://www.journalofnursingeducation.com/images/content/alpha.gif"> = 0.97) and contains five subscales. Convergent validity was established between the NSPIC and a semantic differential scale of students' perceptions of instructor caring. Predictive validity was assessed with Coates Caring Efficacy Scale. Although the NSPIC is in its early stages of development, its psychometric properties indicate that it is a valid and reliable measure of nursing students' perceptions of instructor caring. </P> <h4>AUTHORS</h4> <p>Received: February 10, 2002</p> <p>Accepted: July 1, 2004</p> <p>Dr. Wade is Associate Professor, University of Delaware, College of Health Sciences, School of Nursing, Newark, and Ms. Kasper is a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Alfred I. DuPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, Delaware.</p> <p>The authors acknowledge funding from the General University Research Program (GUR) of the University of Delaware.</p> <p>Address correspondence to Gail Holland Wade, DNSc, RN, Associate Professor, University of Delaware, College of Health Sciences, School of Nursing, McDowell Hall, Newark, DE 19716; e-mail: <a href= "mailto:ghwade@udel.edu">ghwade@udel.edu</a>.</p>

The value of caring behavior and its impact on students' self‐efficacy: Perceptions of undergraduate nursing students

“…It is an inventory for assessing the perception of students towards the caring behavior of their instructors; it contains 31 items in five sections, including instill confidence through caring, supportive learning climate, appreciation of life meanings, control versus flexibility, and respectful sharing. Out of the 31 items, 19 items were expressed in positive terms and 12 in negative terms.…”

“…A broader perspective has been adopted by Ali, who argued that the nature of the relationship between students and instructors has a direct impact on developing the caring behavior in students. Gail Holland Wade and Kasper mentioned that there are several factors influencing the perception of students of the caring behavior of instructors, such as instilling confidence through caring, facilitating a supportive learning environment, and appreciating the meanings of life. Several lines of evidence suggest that students develop their caring behavior through real interactions with instructors and by imitating the caring behavior of instructors, experienced colleagues, or both .…”

“…Gail Holland Wade and Kasper mentioned that there are several factors influencing the perception of students of the caring behavior of instructors, such as instilling confidence through caring, facilitating a supportive learning environment, and appreciating the meanings of life. Several lines of evidence suggest that students develop their caring behavior through real interactions with instructors and by imitating the caring behavior of instructors, experienced colleagues, or both . Moreover, the type of contact and supportive feedback encourage students to express their caring behavior.…”

Perceptions matter: faculty caring, campus racial climate and academic performance

“…A principal component type factor analysis (Field ) using varimax rotation was conducted on the 31‐tem Nursing Students’ Perceptions of Faculty Caring (NSPIC) (Wade & Kasper ) and the 7‐item Perceptions of Prejudice and Discrimination (PPD) (Nora & Cabrera ) (Table ). NSPIC was used to measure students’ perceptions of faculty caring while the PPD was used to measure students’ perceptions of the campus racial climate.…”

“…Watson () proposed 10 carative factors, which includes engaging in genuine teaching and learning in the context of caring relationships in nursing education, as one of the core aspects of the human caring theory. In applying Watson's theory of transpersonal caring in the context of nursing education, we construe the ‘carer’ to be the faculty; the ‘one cared for’ to be the student (Bevis & Watson , Wade & Kasper ). In this context and casting, we argue that experiences of being cared for from faculty could be moderated by other experiences that are part of student life.…”