Effectiveness of the ‘Untact Unification Education Program’ on the Unification Security Awareness, Cultural Empathy, and Cultural Competence of Nursing College Students

Abstract

Purpose: This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of developing and implementing an untact unification education program for nursing students on unification security awareness, cultural empathy, and cultural competence taking into consideration the changes in the educational environment caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: This study used the non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest design and selected an experimental group and control group from second-year nursing students studying at two colleges. The data of a total of 59 research participants, including 29 participants from the experimental group and 30 participants from the control group, were analyzed using the SPSS/WIN 25.0 Program. Results: There were no significant differences in unification security awareness and cultural empathy between the groups. However, a significant difference was seen in the cultural competence between the groups (t=-2.75, p=.008). Conclusion: This study proved the positive effects of unification education on cultural competence, by providing it to nursing college students in a non-face-to-face situation. In the future, it is expected that the education program for peace and unification in the Korean Peninsula developed based on the results of this study will be expanded and applied as a way to cultivate cultural competence so that nursing students can skillfully interact with and care for multicultural subjects.