Team-Based Learning Experiences of Nursing Students in a Health Assessment Subject: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Health assessment as a subject comprises knowledge and practices in which health problems are identified by collecting individual health data. As the subject requires fast learning of voluminous content, it becomes cumbersome. Team-based learning (TBL) has been proposed as an effective teaching and learning strategy in such situations. This study aimed to explore the lived TBL experiences of nursing students from their perspectives in a health assessment subject. This study adopted a qualitative research method. TBL was applied in a health assessment subject at a university in South Korea, as a 2-credit course for 16 weeks. Twelve sophomore nursing students who enrolled in a health assessment subject were the participants. Data were collected through individual in-depth interviews and analyzed using Colaizzi’s method. The results contained twelve themes categorized into five theme clusters: “Getting ready for learning”, “Effective class promoting concentration and immersion”, “Proactive participation in a non-hierarchical learning environment”, “Complementary collaboration”, and “Sense of burden”. The findings suggest that TBL is an effective teaching and learning strategy for the discipline, imparting positive experiences such as class engagement, teamwork, learning outcomes, and improvement of problem-solving skills if students’ role conflicts and continuous learning burden can be addressed.

Team- and Problem-Based Learning in Health Services: A Systematic Literature Review of Recent Initiatives in the United States

“…Traditional team-based learning (TBL) includes consistent groups, student accountability, activities with immediate feedback, individual and team readiness assessments, and a team-based problem or project [3]. A qualitative study of TBL in a nursing student population validated themes similar to the traditional TBL approach, such as readiness for learning and collaboration, and identified students' difficulties navigating team roles and the high volume of content [4]. An experimental quantitative study of undergraduate nursing students demonstrated the superiority of TBL, compared to traditional lecture (TL), in the teaching of community understanding and assessment, and suggests a trend in overall higher scores for TBL vs. TL.…”