Health Studies / M.A. (Health Studies)

Thesis (M.Cur) --University of Limpopo, 2013 / This study was aimed at determining the factors that contributed to absenteeism of pupil nurses in the nursing schools of Capricorn district in Limpopo Province. A descriptive cross-sectional quantitative design was used to describe factors that contributed to absenteeism of pupil nurses in the nursing schools of Capricorn district. The target population consisted of 124 pupil nurses at two nursing schools in the Capricorn district. Ten pupil nurses from one nursing school were used in a pilot study, but for the main study 114 nurses from both nursing schools were sampled. Systematic sampling was used to select 57 pupil nurses who participated in the study. Data were collected by means of a self-developed questionnaire that comprised 24 items on teaching, course content, learning, assessment and social problems. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS, version 18) was used for data analysis. Validity and reliability were ensured by using Cronbach’s test on the pilot study. Ethical clearance was obtained from the Medunsa Research and Ethics Committee, and permission to conduct the study was granted by the Department of Health and Social Development, Limpopo Province. The findings of the study revealed that teaching, course content, learning environment, assessment and social problems were contributory factors to absenteeism of pupil nurses in the nursing schools of the Capricorn district in the Limpopo Province. The study further showed that pupil nurses were absent from classroom and clinical settings due to fear of assessment and attending to social problems. The study recommended the redesigning of nursing education and training in the Capricorn district of the Limpopo Province. The study proposed that appropriate and innovative teaching strategies and support systems be established for pupil nurses.

Background: 'The literature reveals that a large percentage of teachers ask questions aimed at lower cognitive levels irrespective of the underpinning philosophy. They fail to set challenging questions at higher order levels when setting examination papers. Purpose of the Study: This study is aimed at describing and analysing the examination questions set over a four year academic period, at the University of KwaZulu-Natal School of Nursing, in terms of Bloom's levels of cognitive domains. Research Methodology: A quantitative approach and content analysis was used. A total of 1319 questions were examined, SOUTCed from 39 examination papers, from 2003-2007. These questions were independently reviewed by two coders according to Bloom's taxonomy's template. Research Results: The findings revealed that all six categories of the cognitive domains in Bloom's taxonomy were used across the four levels in the Bachelor of Nursing (BN) programme. Overall about 57 % of the questions were aimed at lower level (knowledge, recall and comprehension) whilst only 43.4% were aimed at higher levels (application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation). In the first year lower order questions averaged at 62% with higher order questions at 51 %. In second year the lower order questions took up 51% of the paper \\~th higher order questions at 49%. During third year there was an equal (50/50) split between higher order and lower order questions. In fourth year there was the highest percentage of lower level questions (66%) was seen, with only 34% of questions being of the higher order. Regarding the increase in the complexity of questions within the programme, a change of 13% was seen between first and second year. Whilst there was an increase of 1% reported between second and third year. However, there was a significant drop (16%) in the complexity ofquestions in the fourth year, with lower order questions clearly dominating. Recommendations: The nursing education curriculum, and staff development progranune, should pay special attention towards developing educators in the setting of questions ensuring appropriate examination criteria are met. Exercises during the capacity building initiatives should cover aspects such as how to plan an assessment for the whole programme ensuring the appropriate increases in complexity as the programme progresses, as well as setting, or critiquing, of examination papers and coming up with recommendations to improve the quality of questions. Special attention should be given to how to align teaching and assessment in such a way that the level ofcomplexity increases as the students' progress through the programme. Lastly, further research should be conducted, using mixed methods, to explore the assessment of learning and in order to address certain questions which could not be answered quantitatively; for example questions regarding the construction of questions, because it impacts the nature of the question Also it should be noted that there was a disjuncture between the scenario and the questions in some cases. / Thesis (M.N.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2010.

Health Studies / M.A. (Health Studies)

The intention of this study was to describe the implementation process of the NQF in nursing education at central and provincial levels in order to explore the change process. It deals with this process as follows: Implementation of NQF in nursing education.; Organizational health at central and provincial levels.; The change strategies used at these levels.; The implementation level reached. It is a qualitative study of an enthographic type to describe and document the implementation of the NQF as it occurred. The researcher who was part of the group that generated the culture of learning in nursing, directly participated in the activities and events as they occurred at this initial stage of implementation of the NQF. A discussion between the researcher and nurse educators took place on strategies used and whether they find the existing environment promoting changes. The research techniques used for gathering information were interviews and documents. With this information the researcher was able to reflect, make inferences and interpretations. The state of nursing education was described within the organizational self-renewal strategies described by Owens (1998). The description of the process of implementing the NQF was viewed against the change strategies as described by Bennis, Benne and Chin (1969), which are the empirical rational, normative re-educative and power coercive. The stage of implementation of the NQF in NE that has been achieved has been assessed using the NQF principles as a yardstick. The data collected is largely qualitative and its analysis has been qualitative. The categories of the theoretical framework which are inputs (organizational health); process (change theories); and outcomes (awareness, planning, use and refinement) of the NQF principles, have been used to analyze the data. The findings on organizational health reveal that nursing education is a healthy organization at both central and provincial levels. It has taken the opportunity presented by the NQF to address some of its organizational problems such as the Scope of Practice for nurses and midwives. There are, however, problems in making final decisions about the planned implementation of the NQF because of differences in vision about the future of nursing education. The movement of nursing education (NE) to higher education (HE) is hampering progress because the National Government is not implementing the Education Act No. 101 of 1997 which has moved NE to HE. Both the South African Nursing Council (SANC) and Natal College of Nursing (NCN) have no coherent human resources development policy. At both the central and provincial levels of NE normative re-educative strategies are ones that have been used extensively rather than power coercive strategies. Empirical rational strategies were also made use of to identify the advantages of the NQF policy and to incorporate them into the planned changes. There is full awareness and planning for the implementation of all the principles of the NQF. The principles of the NQF that are already in use and are being refined are integration of education and training, relevance, credibility and legitimacy.This is because they had already been in use in nursing education and practice before the inception of the NQF policy. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2001.

A comparative analysis was undertaken using descriptive survey and cross-sectional design to explore the effects of two curricular approaches ( Problem-based learning and traditional) used in Comprehensive basic nursing programme on the development of, clinical reasoning abilities of nursing students was undertaken, Triple Jump Exercise as the data collection instrument was used to evaluate students' abilities, in clinical reasoning, Using quota sampling technique, a convenience sample of 87 subjects was selected from two nursing institutions using these two approaches, These were student nurses in their 1st, 2nd and 4th year levels of study, Using individual interviews, subjects were required to think aloud and verbalize their clinical reasoning after being presented with a clinical scenario, Subjects' verbalizations were quantified, based on the criteria specified in the evaluation form of the data collecting instrument, and total scores were obtained, Analysis using computer software package (SAS) was done to provide for descriptive and statistical summarisation, Though descriptive analysis through mean scores of clinical reasoning showed slight differences resulting from the curricular approaches used. this was not confirmed statistically as the two factor ANOVA and Tukey's method revealed no significant differences by approaches nor their interaction with level of study, Only levels of study had significant differences at p=O,OOO I, with senior levels outperforming their juniors, These findings therefore conclude that PBL and the traditional approach perfonn on a similar level in clinical reasoning. Nurse educators are therefore challenged to identify effective strategies to enhance and nurture clinical reasoning, One strategy, which this study recommends, is the use of case-based approaches in CBNP. / Thesis (M.Cur.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2001.

Nurse educators are the custodians of nursing education and are faced with the task of providing quality nursing education in a way that inspires and enhances learning. The approach to teaching has moved away from the traditional teacher centre approach to a more student centred, active learning approach. Nurse educators are faced with many challenges, such as creating a learning environment that is conducive to a new and diverse generation of students who have different needs, learning styles and expectations. It is therefore important that the nurse educators strive to enhance the overall learning experience by incorporating teaching strategies that engage students as active participants in the learning process. This study followed a quantitative, descriptive, exploratory and contextual research design in order to determine the activities, educational resources and teaching strategies used to facilitate active learning in a private nursing education institution. The target population was comprised of student nurses registered at the private nursing education institution. The data was collected by means of a self-administered questionnaire from 721 participants at learning centres throughout the country. The statistician used Statistica Version 12 to obtain both a descriptive and a statistical summary of the data. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the common features of the data used and the findings were discussed and summarized in tables and graphs. The ethical principles of informed consent, confidentiality and anonymity, beneficence, non-maleficence, veracity and justice have been maintained throughout this study. This study was conducted in one private nursing education institution in South Africa and only focussed on student nurses. The findings were that the greater majority of the students were encouraged to actively participate in the classroom. Students voiced their preference regarding the activities and teaching strategies utilized. There is disparity and inequality regarding the availability of educational media, resources and facilities. A variety of teaching strategies were utilized in the classrooms of the private NEI, but the use of technology based teaching strategies was limited. Information obtained from nurse educators could provide clarity on their use of teaching strategies to facilitate active learning in the classroom or at least highlight gaps in their knowledge that could help to facilitate training for nurse educators. Based on the findings of the study, recommendations for nursing practice, research and nursing education were made. The main recommendations for nursing education include the continuation of active learning activities given by the nurse educators in the classroom. Nurse educators to take cognisance of the students’ preferences and justify their selection of teaching strategies. The private NEI should ensure the availability and accessibility of educational resources, multimedia and facilities that are essential in teaching students to become self-directed, independent practitioners. Opportunities should be made available for nurse educators to attend seminars or workshops on the use of technology-based teaching strategies and undergo training in the utilization of different strategies that can enhance active learning. This could be included as a mandatory module of the nurse educators’ continuous professional development.

M.Cur. / This study addressed the shortage of qualified nursing staff by means of an empirical research questionnaire according to the principles of the Delphi method. The study has as its objective the design of a marketing strategy for a nursing college, and also determines the contribution of marketing staff and formulates guidelines for a marketing programme and the implementation of a marketing strategy. The research consisted of three phases, being a literature survey and analysis of existing marketing models for service careers; the use of the Delphi method In three rounds, as well as critical Interviews with members Included In the sample to verify results; and the final validation with a marketing consultant and three respondents who are experienced marketing staff members. Marketing was regarded as a total system of Interactional activities, and the potential contribution of all involved persons was addressed in compiling a strategic marketing formula. A possible framework for a marketing strategy was determined with specific emphasis on the elements of such a formula, namely marketing staff, target market, products, price, promotional activities, venue and marketing research. It became clear from the research results that a marketing strategy and the guidelines for implementing such a strategy could enable marketing staff to enhance the Image of this career in an organised and planned manner, thereby contributing to the recruitment of nursing students who could resolve the shortage of qualified nursing staff.

M.Cur. (Professional Nursing Science: Nursing Education) / One of the strategic priorities for the National Health System 2004-2009 is to have a 15-20% increase in the number of nursing students to address both equity requirements and changing human resources, and to meet the health needs of the nation (National Plan of Higher Education, 2001:2). At the nursing college under study, this increase in nursing student numbers has led to a number of teaching and learning problems, as reported in the college study (Waterson, Harms, Qupe, Maritz, Manning, Makobe & Chabeli, 2006 b:70). Nurse educators encourage students to arrange individual consultations to attend to their learning problems. The purpose of the study was to explore and describe the perceptions of nursing students and nurse educators on factors they perceive to be contributing to ineffective teaching and learning in large groups, and to describe strategies to improve this situation at a nursing college in Johannesburg. A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive, and contextual research design was employed to obtain a deeper understanding of nursing students’ and nurse educators’ perceptions that contribute to ineffective teaching and learning in large classes. A purposive sampling method was used for the first-year nursing students in a Johannesburg nursing college. Focus group interviews with nursing students and nurse educators were conducted by the expert interviewer. Open coding qualitative data analysis methods were used in accordance with Tech’s qualitative method (Creswell, 2012:186). Credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability were used to ensure trustworthiness in accordance with Lincoln and Guba’s model (1985:290-326). The study followed the ethical standards set by the South African Nursing Council (SANC, 1992:2). The results were conceptualised within the relevant literature, and strategies to facilitate effective teaching and learning in large classes at a Johannesburg nursing college was be formulated (Burns & Grove, 2001: 55). A purposive sampling method was used for the R425 first-year nursing students and educators at a Johannesburg nursing college. Participation in the study was on a voluntary basis. During the study the researcher used focus groups as a method to collect data. An expert interviewer was used to encourage participants to interact with each another freely regarding the topic.

M.Cur. (Professional Nursing Science: Nursing Education) / The Nursing Strategy for South Africa calls for nursing colleges to increase the intake of new nursing students by 25% without the proportional increase of nurse educators. This has created an unacceptable increase in the number of nursing students leading to increased workload of nurse educators. Other compounding problems that relate to classroom teaching, clinical, personal and organization, hinder performance and contribute to the frustration of the nurse educator. The purpose of this study is to explore and describe the factors influencing nurse educators’ teaching and learning performance at a nursing college in Gauteng in order to develop supporting strategies to improve their performance in teaching and learning. The research design is qualitative, explorative, descriptive and contextual in nature. A non-probability purposive sampling method was used to select a sample of 12 nurse educators to participate in individual semi-structured interviews. A qualitative open coding data analysis method was used. To ensure the trustworthiness of the study, the researcher used Lincoln and Guba’s four criteria and strategies of establishing the trustworthiness of qualitative data namely credibility, transferability, dependability and confirmability. Four main themes and sub-themes emerged as follows: (1) Large student numbers - difficulty in recognizing students as individuals and identifying ‘at-risk’ students, difficulty in managing a large class, concerns about quality of nursing students in a large class, content-delivery process is a challenge in a large class; (2) Language and cultural barriers - language barrier and diverse cultural groups of students in one class; (3) Competence of nurse educators - inadequate knowledge / subject didactics, ineffective skills and negative attitude and inappropriate values; and (4) Ineffective management practices - inadequate orientation and mentoring and lack of human and material resources. The themes and sub-themes were conceptualized within the relevant literature and supporting strategies to improve nurse educators’ teaching and learning performance were described. Recommendations were made with regard to nursing education, nursing practice and nursing research.