M.Cur. / Please refer to full text to view abstract

M.Cur. (Nursing Education) / Humour, as an instructional approach is used to facilitate learning and it has been found to have immeasurable benefits to nursing education (Ulloth, 2003b; Chabeli, 2008). However, the use of humour is a challenging activity, especially in nursing education, owing to the profession’s serious nature. Previous studies recommended continued exploration of the teaching and learning situations in order to improve the way nursing education students are educated. Despite the studies conducted about the use of humour to facilitate learning, there is still an absence of guidelines to assist nurse educators to use and integrate humour into the teaching content to enhance the learning of learner nurses at a nursing education institution in Gauteng. The purpose and objective of this study was to explore and describe the experiences of learner nurses regarding the effects of humour in facilitating learning in order to describe the guidelines to facilitate learning through humour at a nursing education institution in Gauteng. A qualitative, explorative, descriptive and phenomenological research design that is contextual in nature was employed (Burns & Grove, 2009:54; Mouton, 1996:102– 107). A non-probability purposive sampling method was used to select participants. The study was conducted into two phases. Phase one consisted of the exploration and description of the experiences of learner nurses with regard to the effect of humour in facilitating learning, through focus group interviews. Phase two of the study consisted of a conceptualization of the findings and a description of guidelines to facilitate learning through humour at a nursing education institution in Gauteng. Tesch’s qualitative open coding method of data analysis (in Creswell, 2012:244 - 245) was used to analyse the data obtained. Trustworthiness was ensured in accordance with Lincoln and Guba (1985:316-327). Ethical considerations were observed using DENOSA’s ethical standards (DENOSA, 1998:7). The three main categories that emerged from the data were positive effects of humour, negative effects of humour, and the effects of an absence of humour. These main categories and sub-categories in conjunction with their related themes were conceptualized and supported by the relevant literature.

D.Cur. / During the last decade there has been a surge of interest in quality issues in education. This is largely due to spiralling costs of education and political demands for accountability in public institutions. In South Africa, higher education institutions are now required by law (Higher Education Act No. 101 of 1997 and the South African Qualifications Act No. 58 of 1995) to introduce quality management in an attempt to assure quality ofboth the programmes and the education providers. The Nursing Colleges in Gauteng provide nursing education to nearly 2000 nurses and, as such, make the major contribution to providing for the quality of the health care services. The colleges therefore have a double reason for introducing quality improvement measures, which start with a system for monitoring the quality of the colleges. In this study a quality audit system has been developed to address this need. There is no comprehensive internal audit system, which allows for quantitative measurement and acts as an empowerment strategy for institutional quality improvement in the nursing colleges in South Africa. The following research questions are relevant: • what should an auditing system for nursing colleges comprise? • what are the indicators of quality in a nursing college? • is the auditing system trustworthy? The overall aim of the study was to develop an audit system for the nursing colleges in Gauteng. This aim was supported by the following objectives: Phase one: to conduct a value clarification of quality within the nursing colleges in Gauteng, as perceived by the internal and external customers. Phase two: to explore and describe a conceptual framework for a quality audit system for nursing colleges in Gauteng. Phase three: a. to develop a quality audit system for the nursing colleges in Gauteng b. To pilot the audit system in one nursing college in Gauteng. A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual design was conducted within the nursing colleges of Gauteng in order to develop a contextual framework and a quality audit system for the nursing colleges. The content validity was tested by means of quantitative methods. The audit system that was developed included a tool for auditing the quality of nursing colleges as a means to identifY conformance to standards, criteria and indicators and to improve the quality of the structure, processes and results ofthe organization. The standards were developed on the basis of a value clarification of internal and external customers. Clusters ofindicators were developed for each of the standards. The value of this study is that a comprehensive audit system has been developed which empowers the staffand students ofthe college to improve the quality ofthe college. The same system can be used for purposes of accreditation, as an accountability mechanism and for institutional recognition.

M.Cur. / Please refer to full text to view abstract

D.Cur. / The purpose of this research study was to describe a model to facilitate collaboration between the institutions of higher education and psychiatric health care services in order to promote psychiatric clinical nursing education, with guidelines to operationalise the model. In spite of the calls by statutory bodies and contemporary legislation for collaboration between institutions of higher education and psychiatric health care services, there are few instances where formalised collaborative ventures exist to promote psychiatric clinical nursing education. Since the move of nursing education from hospital-based schools to colleges and universities, there was no attempt to redefine the most appropriate roles for nurse educators and clinical facilitators regarding student teaching and learning, given this realignment. The consequence was that the relationship between these institutions is characterised by territoriality; a lack of integration of knowledge and expertise of nurse educators and clinical facilitators; a lack of sharing the necessary resources to facilitate cooperative teaching thus increasing the existence of academia-service gap and/or theory-practice gap to develop. There was therefore a need to develop a model with guidelines for operationalisation of the model to facilitate collaboration between institutions of higher education and psychiatric health care services to promote psychiatric clinical nursing education. The research questions that emerged were: • What is the meaning of collaboration between institutions of higher education and psychiatric health care services within psychiatric clinical nursing education? • How can collaboration between institutions of higher education and psychiatric health care services be facilitated to promote psychiatric clinical nursing education? To realise the aim of this research, the following objectives are formulated: • to explore and describe the meaning of the concept “collaboration” between the institutions of higher education and psychiatric health care services within a psychiatric clinical educational context (theoretical and empirical perspectives); • to explore and describe the perceptions of nurse educators, nurse managers, and (i) clinical facilitators with regard to how collaboration between institutions of higher education and psychiatric health care services can be facilitated to promote psychiatric clinical nursing education; • to conceptualise the identified concepts of the model for collaboration to facilitate psychiatric clinical nursing education; • to describe the model to facilitate collaboration between institutions of higher education and psychiatric health care services, evaluate the model and describe guidelines for its operationalisation. The study was conducted in four phases. Phase One of the study involved an exploration and description of the meaning of collaboration within psychiatric clinical nursing education in accordance with Rodgers and Knafl’s evolutionary method of concept analysis (Rodgers & Knafl, 1993:77-90) and empirical meaning description from the participants’ perspective. Integration of the theoretical and empirical meaning of collaboration formed the basis on which a conceptual map was designed. Content analysis of literature was done using deductive and inductive reasoning strategies, synthesis, and inference and derivation as described by Chinn & Kramer (1995:63-67), and Walker and Avant, (1983:58-62). Theoretical validity was ensured (Chinn & Jacobs, 1987:208). A conceptual map constituting the four phases of collaboration was described.

M.Cur. / The rationalization of nursing colleges was implemented to change the manner in which the state institutions were administered for the purpose of improving service delivery, reduce state expenditure and maximize the utilization of these state institutions by making them accessible to all eligible users. The nurse educators’ experiences in this regard had to be explored and described because people react differently even to the best of intentions. The following research questions that gave direction to the research study were formulated. • What are the experiences of the nurse educators following the rationalization of the nursing colleges in Gauteng? • What are the supportive guidelines that can be formulated to assist the nurse educators cope in the nursing college that has undergone the rationalization process? The purpose of the research was to describe the supportive guidelines that might assist the nurse educators cope in the receiving nursing college that had undergone the process of rationalization. The objectives that would enable the fulfillment of the research purpose were formulated. The objectives of the study were: • To explore and describe the experiences of the nurse educators in a nursing college that has undergone the process of rationalization. • To conceptualize the experiences of the nurse educators • Describe the supportive guidelines to assist the nurse educators cope in the nursing college that has undergone the process of rationalization. A qualitative, contextual, exploratory, descriptive and phenomenological research design was used to address the research questions and objectives (Mouton 1998). The study was conducted in two phases. Phase one focused on the description and exploration of the nurse educators’ experiences following the rationalization of nursing colleges in Gauteng. Phase two focused on the conceptualization of findings and the description of the supportive guidelines. The method of selecting the participants of the study was purposive so that participants who met the criteria could be included in the study. The sample was obtained from the target population of thirty six nurse educators who were deployed from the nursing colleges that were closed down and those who were employed in the nursing college before the implementation of the rationalization of nursing colleges in Gauteng. A pilot study of four nurse educators was done. The four nurse educators were not included in the focus group interview. Twelve nurse educators from General Nursing Science, Midwifery, and Psychiatry and some of the managers (HOD’s) participated in the study. Community Nursing Science nurse educators were not available due to work commitment outside the nursing college. A focus group interview (Krueger 1994) was conducted within ethical considerations. Audio tapes were used to capture the data. Field notes of the gestures and emotions expressed by the nurse educator during the interview were taken. Tech’s (in Cresswell 1994) protocol to systematically process the contextual data was utilized. Trustworthiness was maintained to ensure credibility of the study (Lincoln & Guba 1985.) The two categories, seven sub categories and the related themes that emerged from data analysis were conceptualized and supported by relevant literature. The two main categories were positive experiences and negative experiences. The sub-categories of the positive experiences were: sharing of resources, empowerment of the nurse educators, collaboration of the receiving nursing college with the community to improve nursing education and acquisition of trans- cultural knowledge. The sub- categories of the negative experiences were: fear, perceived behavior of the authorities concerned with rationalization of nursing colleges in Gauteng and aspects pertaining to racial issues. These categories and their related themes were conceptualized and supported by relevant literature. Guidelines that would assist the nurse educators cope in the receiving nursing college were formulated. It is recommended that the authorities concerned with the rationalization of nursing colleges in Gauteng and the management of the receiving nursing college should consider the guidelines to assist the nurse educators cope in the receiving nursing college and in future rationalization of the nursing college. In conclusion, the study has sheared light on the importance of conducting a research before implementing a major change such as rationalization of state institutions to ensure sustenance of the objectives of the change. The employees’ wellbeing should be considered because the success of the rationalization depends on them. Rationalization of institutions, whether public or private, requires effective management to facilitate a reasonable integration process.

M.Cur. (Professional Nursing Education) / The use of traditional teaching methods, for example the lecture method, does not stimulate ·critical thinking in student nurses. This problem can be solved by the utilisation of problem-based case study in the classroom/clinical setting. The purpose of this study is to describe guidelines for the implementation of problembased case study in dinical setting .among. first year, comprehensive course students at the Northern Province College of Nursing: Sovenga Campus. The research design of this study is qualitative, explorative, descriptive and contextual. The following data is collected: Phase 1: The development and implementation of a program for problem-based case study in the clinical setting; Phase II: The experiences of student nurses who Were. exposed to problem-based case study in the clinical setting; Phase Ill: The perceptions of tutors regarding the implementation of problem-based case study in the clinical setting (focus group), and, Phase IV: Guidelines for the implementation of problem-based case study. The principles were obtained from Phases I, II and Ill and were used to formulate guidelines for the implementation of problem-based case study. The sample group consists of all 69 first year student nurses at the Northern Province College of Nursing: Sovenga Campus and ten tutors teaching clinical courses at the same campus.

According to the Council on Higher Education (CHE, 2011:78) the term Work Integrated Learning (WIL) refers to an educational approach that aligns academic and workplace practices for the mutual benefit of students and workplaces. The CHE (2011:4) further describes WIL as an approach to career-focussed education that includes classroom-based and workplace-based forms of learning that are appropriate for the professional qualifications. WIL forms part of many training programmes for professions across the globe and is considered an important aspect of preparing the trainee or student to integrate theoretical learning into the clinical environment in which he or she will be building his or her career. WIL is considered crucial for the development of professional attributes and competencies needed to perform duties within the chosen profession once the trainee is qualified. Health care professions across the world employ WIL in clinical areas as an integral part of their curricula and nursing specifically is one of the health care professions that utilise a large component of WIL for clinical development of the student nurses. In South Africa, student nurses are currently placed in a variety of clinical settings in order to obtain the required and regulated clinical experience that work integrated learning should offer them. However, anecdotal evidence indicated that student nurses from the various Nursing Education Institutions in Nelson Mandela Bay experienced difficulty in finding adequate opportunities to develop their newly acquired skills when in the clinical areas and reported great difficulties in achieving their WIL outcomes. The aim of this study was to explore and describe the student nurses’ experiences of work integrated learning in various clinical areas in the Nelson Mandela Bay. This study followed a qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual design with two phases. Thirty-five student nurses in their third and fourth-year were purposely sampled. In phase one data was collected using two steps, where the first step comprised using naïve sketches. During the second step interviews were done by means of focus groups using semi-structured questions and responsive interviewing. Data was transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically using Tesch’s method of analysis. In phase two recommendations for nurse educators to optimise WIL were formulated. The following three themes and related sub-themes emerged from the analysis: 1) Student nurses experienced a multitude of challenges in the clinical placement areas (CPA) and at the nursing education institution (NEI) that negatively impact on their morale and hinder WIL, namely lack of resources, unsupportive learning environments, a lack of belonging and workplace violence. 2) Positive experiences resulted in motivated and enthusiastic students, namely being inspired by role models, enhanced learning when support was offered and personal growth. 3) Students offered recommendations for enabling their WIL, namely adequate mentoring and clinical support, adequate financial support related to WIL and adjusting the nursing programmes to better incorporate the students’ needs. Relevant literature and recommendations offered by the student nurses were used to formulate recommendations with action steps for nurse educators to optimise work integrated learning of student nurses.

Evidence based practice (EBP) is a worldwide phenomena defined as the “conscientious explicit and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the patient’s care”. The evidence based practice concept’s aim is to effectively guide health care professionals to build knowledge that will be supported by evidence. Evidence based practice must be supported by evidence based teaching. Nurse educators must be up to date with evidence based teaching as well as the latest evidence based teaching strategies, in order to teach the new millennial nursing students and for the new qualifications structure. Teaching the concept of evidence based practice by implementing evidence based teaching to nursing students will enable them to transform the future of healthcare by delivering high quality care practice. A paucity of evidence is available on evidence based teaching and teaching strategies in the South African context. Therefore the researcher used a systematic review methodology to explore and describe the best available evidence based teaching strategies and to develop a guideline on evidence based teaching strategies for nurse educators. The data bases searched included: MEDLINE, CINAHL, PubMed and Google Scholar. Manual searches were done and completed with the assistance of librarians. A total number of n=50 studies were identified as potentially relevant to the study. The number or articles included for critical appraisal were 20. On completion of the critical appraisal n=17 articles were identified for the review. The included studies for the review were n=7 Level 1, systematic reviews and n=10 Level 2, quasi-experimental studies. Three studies were excluded after critical appraisal from two reviewers, appraisal was done independently, and consensuses were reached between the two reviewers. The Joanna Briggs Institutes critical appraisal and data extraction instruments were used for the study. The descriptive data synthesis was done of the included studies as well as a comparison of teaching strategies to determine which one to better than the other one. Although n = 4 of the teaching strategies (concept mapping, internet-based learning, evidence based interactive strategy and cultural competence) significantly increased knowledge, the overall results found that a variety of teaching strategies to be implemented to increase the knowledge outcomes of the nursing students. The different teaching strategies found were: e-learning, concept mapping, internet-based learning, web-based learning, gaming, problem-based learning, and case studies, evidence based learning and cultural competence. However, more research is needed to investigate the best use of the different teaching strategies and compare the impact of a variety of teaching strategies on increasing knowledge of the nursing student.

The purpose of this study was to develop an Evaluation Q-Sort and to test it by measuring the perceptions held by-nursing, instructors of the relative importance of five functions and effects of evaluation. The functions and effects identified for study were: the measurement of student achievement, the measurement of student progress, psychological effects of evaluation, the influence of evaluation on teaching, and the influence of evaluation on administration. An Evaluation Q-Sort was developed and used to measure the perceptions of evaluation held by the 111 nursing instructors in the six professional nursing schools in the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island areas of the Province of British Columbia. The population was divided into ten classifications according to various criteria related to role, experience, preparation, and instructional setting. The central hypothesis assumed that the group of instructors as a whole would not assign greater importance to anyone of the five functions and effects of evaluation. The nine sub-hypotheses assumed that the perceptions of evaluation held by nursing instructors would not be influenced by the variables selected for study. The .05 level of significance was used in the study. The results indicated that the nursing instructors did ascribe significantly different degrees of importance to the five functions and effects of evaluation. Measurement of student achievement was ascribed least importance and measurement of student progress was ascribed most importance among the functions and effects studied. In addition, differences were found with respect to the nature of the instructors' responsibilities, the type of school in which she taught, and her stated level of satisfaction with preparation as an evaluator. No differences were found with respect to length of experience in nursing service or education, preparation as an instructor, course in tests and measurements, instructional focus, and instructional setting. / Education, Faculty of / Educational Studies (EDST), Department of / Graduate