THE DEVELOPMENT, ANALYSIS, IMPLEMENTATION AND EVALUATION OF A COOPERATIVE LEARNING TEACHING MODEL USING ACTION RESEARCH IN RN/BSN NURSING EDUCATION.
Contributors: Widener University School Of Nursing.
Published: 1992
Number of pages: 246
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.; Education, Adult and Continuing.; Education, Curriculum and Instruction.
Description: The purpose of this study was to describe the development, analysis, implementation and evaluation of a cooperative learning teaching model using action research in a nursing education program for registered nurses. Although cooperative learning has been researched in education for at least thirty years, there is almost no research on the use of cooperative learning with nursing students. The subjects for this study were a convenience sample of registered nurses who were pursuing a baccalaureate degree in nursing in an urban university.

The teacher/researcher taught two sections of the same course, the first nursing course in the curriculum. Each section was taught using cooperative learning as the primary teaching model. Action research was used to develop and evaluate the cooperative learning methods and to develop a model for using cooperative learning with this population of students. Changes in attitudes about cooperative learning were measured with the Classroom Life Measure (CLM) which consists of 90 Likert-type questions which fall into seventeen subscales depicting various aspects of cooperative learning.

Data analysis was accomplished through the use of quantitative and qualitative methods. A t test was used to compare differences in attitudes on all of the CLM subscales over the course of the semester. A Pearson product moment correlation was used to test the relationship between age, number of years since basic program and years of nursing experience with all subscales. Content analysis of the students' evaluations of each class, of the course, and of videotapes of three of each of the classes is reported.

The model describes a classroom in which no formal lectures are given and students work in small groups of four to five students to discuss questions or work on case studies based on the reading assignments. This is followed by a large group discussion where the teacher clarifies amplifies and adds new material to challenge new thinking. Continuous and end of semester evaluation by the students and the teacher/researcher indicate that this is an exciting alternative to traditional classroom teaching. Further research on its use in other classroom settings is suggested.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 54-01, Section: B, page: 0162.

Thesis (D.N.SC.)--WIDENER UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF NURSING, 1992.

School code: 0969.