Effect of online communication skills training on effective communication and self-efficacy and self-regulated learning skills of nursing students: A randomized controlled study

Abstract

AimThe aim of this study was to determine the effect of online communication skills training conducted for first-year nursing students on effective communication and self-efficacy and self-regulated learning skills. BackgroundCommunication skills are an important part of nursing care. MethodsThis research was designed as a pre-test–post-test randomized controlled experimental study. The study population comprised first-year undergraduate nursing students of a state university in Turkey. A total of 60 students included in the study were divided into the two following groups: experimental (n = 30) and control (n = 30) groups. The research data were collected between 1 December 2020 and 1 March 2021. Pre-test and post-test forms were simultaneously provided to the groups. Post-tests were repeated 1 month after the pre-test was completed. A 2-day (a total of 12 h) communication skills training was conducted online for the students in the experimental group after the pre-test forms were filled. Information form, Effective Communication Skills Scale (ECSS), General Self-efficacy Scale (GSE) and Self-regulated Learning Skills Scale (SRLSS) were used to collect the data. ResultsThe effective communication and SRLSS mean scores of the nursing students were high and the GSE scores were below average. On comparing the groups, the post-test mean scores of the communication skills and GSE were found to decrease in both the groups compared with the pre-test ones. This decrease was significant only in the “ego-enhancing language” subdimension of ECSS (p < 0.05). The post-test mean scores of the SRLSS increased in both the groups, but this increase was not significant (p > 0.05). ConclusionAlthough the SRLSS scores of the students increased in the post-test, the study results show that communication skills training did not have a significant effect on effective communication and self-efficacy and self-regulated learning skills. The results of this study are important in terms of guiding research and trainings that examine the effects of communication skills.