Nursing Research Course Research Articles

Effects of mind mapping on student achievement in a nursing research course.

Nurse educators face the problem of getting students to understand massive amounts of content and see relationships between concepts. The author addresses this problem by comparing the effectiveness of one technique, mind mapping, to more traditional approaches. In addition, creative teaching strategies such as mind mapping can make a class not only more interesting, but fun.

Presenting research: Effective paper presentations and impressive poster presentations

From the very first nursing research course, nurses are taught the significance of sharing the findings of research. Dissemination of findings is the last step of the research process, and typically, methods for publishing findings are included in course content. Obviously, the process of writing is involved. The literature is full of descriptions about writing for publication; however, for many nurses writing is an insurmountable task (King, Barnard, & Hoehn, 1981; Teel, 1990). There are other ways to share research findings. Two additional methods are the oral paper and the poster presentation. These are legitimate methods for presenting research findings. In this article, guidelines for preparing an oral presentation and a poster presentation are outlined. However, one must first understand the importance of sharing research findings.

Building Undergraduate Nursing Students' Knowledge of the Research Process in Nursing

This article describes a simple approach to teaching a nursing research course to undergraduate nursing students which was received with enthusiasm by both students and faculty. Through short answer progressive assignments throughout the semester involving students in the thinking processes required at each stage of the research process, student knowledge of the research process was progressively developed. Students chose a topic of personal interest for a proposed study and carried this topic through the various phases of the research process. Students positively evaluated this approach frequently commenting that the approach helped them to "think in different ways than before" and strongly recommended continuance of the approach in future course presentations.

Adult Learning Styles and Attitudes Toward Computer Assisted Instruction

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a relationship between learning style categories and attitudes toward computer assisted instruction (CAI). Few studies have attempted to compare adult learning style and attitude toward CAI. In a one group pre- and post-test design, two questionnaires were administered to adult students enrolled in a nursing research course, which integrated CAI as an instructional method. The Attitude Toward Computer Assisted Instruction Semantic Differential Tool (Allen, 1986) was completed twice. The Learning Style Inventory (Kolb, 1976), a self-report questionnaire to determine learning style, was completed once. Data analysis indicated a significantly greater negative attitude toward CAI post-test. Subjects in all four learning style categories had statistically significantly greater negative attitudes on the function subscale, with assimilators also having a significantly greater negative attitude on the creativity subscale, as well as in overall attitude. The increasingly negative attitude toward CAI in this study may reflect several factors: an evaluation of the CAI software, and subject expectations of the CAI that were not met.

ONS To Hold Sixth Cancer Nursing Research Course

ONS To Hold Sixth Cancer Nursing Research Course

A constant comparative method for teaching research critiquing to baccalaureate nursing students.

SummaryThe essence of the constant comparative method is the use of four research articles, each on the same topic, which are read repeatedly by students throughout the research course. By the completion of the course students have read all portions of all four reports and have evaluated their adequacy both individually and as compared to other studies.The constant comparative method is used in introductory nursing research courses for baccalaureate students. The goal of developing competent consumers is introduced early in the course, and its value to nursing practice is stressed.

Learning Through Counterpoint Research

Coincidences can be explained statistically, but they awe many of us nevertheless. As a matter of fact, some of us are still awed by statistics. A coincidence-or a random chance, if you will-may have changed the way 32 diploma students think about nursing research. As an instructor, I was trying vainly to come up with a fresh approach to tune students in on why energy levels differ and how these differences affect nursing care. At this same time, I entered a course in nursing research at Teachers College, Columbia University. The instructor in my nursing research course selected a project for the entire class, to be focused on the moods of hospitalized patients. We were divided into six groups, each group to study different aspects of the problem. At the first meeting of the class I chose to join a group that would study the effect of the nature of patients' illness on their moods. I had several