An ESP Approach to Teaching Nursing Note Writing to University Nursing Students

Abstract

For nursing students in the vocational education system in Taiwan, English-language writing skills, whether for general or specific purposes, have long been ignored, which may jeopardize their success in medical-oriented courses and their future careers. This study designed a nursing note-writing course (NNWC) for university nursing students and explored the teaching outcomes of its implementation. The three main objectives were to (a) examine the effectiveness of the NNWC in enhancing learners’ competencies; (b) survey learners’ satisfaction with the NNWC, and (c) investigate learners’ perceptions of the NNWC. In this action research, 49 students practiced five writing tasks while guided with five teaching tools, namely an online writing platform, multiple revisions, peer-review activities, and direct and indirect teacher feedback, for a semester. External examiners included a language teacher and a nursing professional, and the data-collection instruments used included a writing competence scale and a course satisfaction questionnaire. The results showed that the learners’ writing competence significantly improved after the NNWC. They also demonstrated a fair level of satisfaction toward the NNWC. A total of 90% of the learners preferred online writing compared to traditional handwriting. The learners also indicated a preference for feedback from the teacher rather than from peers, and they perceived vocabulary capability to be crucial. ESP/ENP teachers are advised to consider the implementation of the NNWC when designing syllabi.