HIGH TOUCH IN A HIGH TECH WORLD: PERCEPTIONS OF CARING BY NURSING STUDENTS AND FACULTY (NURSING EDUCATION).
Contributors: University of Illinois at Chicago.
Published: 1991
Number of pages: 137
Subjects: Education, Higher.; Health Sciences, Nursing.; Health Sciences, Education.
Description: In this phenomenological study interactions between faculty and students were examined for evidence of caring expressions and behaviors. The investigator was the instrument of research. Observations and interviews were conducted in two clinical nursing classes, each from a different school in the greater Chicago area. Staff nurses and patients were also interviewed. Transcriptions of these interviews were passed to the participants for their verification and commentary.

The purposes of the study were to uncover whether or not the concept of caring was explicitly taught by faculty and to discover the perceptions of students concerning awareness of caring in teaching-learning interactions. The investigator thoroughly examined the data and reflected on their significance, grouping repeated instances of behaviors and occurrences that she perceived as caring. Four factors--personalization, nurturance, modeling and competence--stood out strongly. These features compare favorably to findings from other studies, reinforcing perceptions of ways in which caring may be transmitted between faculty and students in the clinical arena.

The investigator concluded that caring was communicated effectively between the instructors and students in this study, but implicitly, rather than by overt teaching design. The participants, without exception, affirmed that caring should be a central value in the profession. The researcher, believing that caring can and should be taught, makes recommendations for further research and for curriculum modification.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 52-12, Section: A, page: 4240.

Thesis (PH.D.)--UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO, 1991.

School code: 0799.