Parallels of Lived Experiences in Learning: A Scientist Learning Qualitative Research and Nurses Learning Science

Abstract

This article documents my personal experiences in entering research in tertiary teaching and learning. My role as a science academic has included teaching both undergraduate science and nursing students, as well as incorporating scientific research in the discipline of microbiology. Through teaching these two different cohorts of students I have come to realise that they demand different teaching styles and strategies. Previous studies concerning science courses in nursing programs suggested that nursing students have a negative attitude towards the relevance of science in nursing and lack the confidence to study this subject. In an attempt to improve this situation. I have taken the approach of investigating my teaching and learning practices in nurse education by undertaking a comprehensive evaluation of the course, and in doing so I have become more open to learning about new teaching and learning activities. This shift in research experience, from laboratory-based to educational, has produced an interesting parallel. The new experiences and anxieties that I faced in entering a new paradigm of educational research can be seen as analogous to those experienced by my nursing students when studying science in nursing for the first time. This paper provides a personal account of this shift in research and reflects on how my lived experience of entering a new field of research has facilitated the way that I understand how students learn.

A Bridge between Two Cultures: Uncovering the Chemistry Concepts Relevant to the Nursing Clinical Practice

“…This problem is heightened given the anxiety of prenursing students who fear that requirements of the course may close doors and opportunities for them. 20,21 Some prenursing courses, like GOB chemistry, are sometimes viewed as gatekeepers, thus, determining who has access to the profession. 5 Undergraduate nursing students often feel stressed by the cognitive load and content detail in their program.…”

“…The quandary of what should be taught and how it should be taught in allied-health programs is not trivial. This problem is heightened given the anxiety of prenursing students who fear that requirements of the course may close doors and opportunities for them. , Some prenursing courses, like GOB chemistry, are sometimes viewed as gatekeepers, thus, determining who has access to the profession …”