EFFECTIVENESS OF TELEVISION IN TEACHING HOME NURSING
Authors: Shimberg Benjamin 
Published: August 2014

Purpose: The National American Red Cross requested Educational Testing Service to evaluate the effectiveness of television in teaching the Home Nursing Course. The Red Cross wanted to find out (1) whether TV could be used effectively to teach home nursing to adults viewing the program at home and (2) how the results of such instruction compared with the results of the conventional classroom method. The Red Cross also wished to obtain some indication of students' reaction to this method of instruction.

Procedure: Three experimental groups were used: (1) TV‐only, which received all of its instruction by television (2) TV‐plus‐Practice, which also received instruction by TV but in addition attended weekly practice sessions (3) Standard Classroom Group, which was taught the regular course without the use of television. The two television groups were to view 13 half‐hour programs twice a week in their own homes. The classroom group was to attend seven two‐hour sessions where they would receive lectures, demonstrations, and supervised practice.

Participants in the study were adult volunteers from organized groups in Houston and Oklahoma City. About 650 students were tested before receiving instruction and about 400 after they had completed the course. Written tests as well as individual performance tests were used to measure the knowledge and skill of the student in home nursing. Differences between groups were analyzed by the method of analysis of variance and analysis of covariance.

Background information as to age, education, income, employment status, etc. was obtained from all participants. Students in the TV group who were tested at the end of the course also filled out a questionnaire giving their reactions to this method of instruction.

Results:

Television instruction was found to be as effective as classroom instruction in teaching facts about home nursing and in promoting an understanding of the principles involved in care of the sick.

Students taught by TV did almost as well on the performance test as those taught in the classroom, although they spent less time receiving instruction. While the differences in final test scores between the two TV groups and the Standard Class group were statistically reliable, this difference was too small to be considered of practical significance.

The television groups gained more than the classroom group in proportion to the amount of time spent receiving instruction. The average TV student spent between five and six hours in front of the TV set, while the average classroom student spent eleven or twelve hours in class.

The attitude of those who viewed the TV programs regularly was overwhelmingly favorable toward this method of instruction. Most students seem to have found the programs interesting and worthwhile; they liked the teacher and generally approved of the methods used in teaching the course.

Practice sessions were perceived as a desirable adjunct to the TV instruction by those who had only viewed TV. The group which had actually attended practice sessions rated them as “moderately helpful”. It was the concensus of students in both groups that such sessions should be held weekly or bi‐weekly.

There were indications that more people might participate and that there might be even greater satisfaction with the course, if consideration were given to suggestions like the following, which came from students: (1) Present the course at a more convenient time, (2) Compress the course into a shorter period (i.e. seven weeks is too long), (3) Organize practice sessions so that students get more out of them, (4) Provide students with a study guide or course outline, (5) Take into consideration the specific home health needs and interests of the audience.