HOSPITALS AS TEACHING SITES: CONVERGING THEORY AND PRACTICE THROUGH CLINICAL APPLICATION PROGRAMS BASED UPON ADULT LEARNING PRINCIPLES.
Contributors: Peabody College For Teachers Of Vanderbilt University.
Published: 1994
Number of pages: 384
Subjects: Education, Adult and Continuing.; Health Sciences, Nursing.; Education, Philosophy of.
Description: This study examined the role of clinical application programs in converging theory and practice within hospitals functioning as teaching sites. The review of literature explored practica-type programs, including preceptorships, apprenticeships, fellowships, residencies, internships, externships, and model programs, utilizing andragogical principles for a conceptual framework. This background provided guidance for gathering data from 19 program participants, five preceptors, and two faculty from a pilot study of Adult Health Practicum II students in the School of Nursing, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and a primary study focused upon 30 preceptees, 28 preceptors, and two facilitators of the Army Nurse Corps Preceptorship Program, Fitzsimons Army Medical Center. Domain referencing guided reliability and content validity of instrumentation, which included quantitative scaled questionnaires and qualitative structured surveys triangulated into an overview of the civilian and military programs. Inquiry focused upon: (a) the perceived effectiveness of practica-type programs as clinical application teaching strategies, particularly regarding achievement of andragogical learning principles, and (b) the inherent program variables that influence clinical application experiences, particularly within hospitals functioning as teaching sites.

Interviews were categorized according to naturalistic inquiry guidelines. Descriptive statistics were applied to questionnaires as mean, median, mode, and standard deviation. Percentages were included when appropriate. Chi-square was utilized for the pilot study; non-parametric measures of Bartlett's test for homogeneity and the Kruskal-Wallis H test were applied to the primary study. Results indicated the Army Nurse Corps Preceptorship is indeed perceived as a valid clinical application teaching strategy which promotes principles of andragogy, plus socialization and integration, into the corps. Needs assessments, teaching strategies, and learning contracts were found to be positive influences, along with other variables such as personality "fit," flexibility, and one-on-one precepting ratios.

Implications for nursing education and related disciplines include potential standardization of clinical application teaching strategies based on a proposed model for academically aligned andragogy. Recommendations include: (a) implementation of the proposed model as a professional bridge between theory and practice for adult learners; (b) control of program variables, such as the teaching environment; and (c) ongoing evaluation of clinical application program design and outcomes.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 55-11, Section: A, page: 3381.

Thesis (ED.D.)--PEABODY COLLEGE FOR TEACHERS OF VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY, 1994.

School code: 0074.