Aim: This paper is a report on a study that explored the professional development of intensive care unit nurses in journal clubs. Background: Evidence-based practice is important in nursing care (Krom, Batten, & Bautista, 2010). However few nurses feel comfortable using evidence to guide their practice (Pravikoff, Tanner, & Pierce, 2005). Journal clubs are a way to establish science as conversation (Wright, 2004) and foster knowledge translation for evidence-based nursing practice (Goodfellow, 2004). Methods: Monthly journal club meetings were held with the participation of a total of 71 healthcare professionals (65 nurses, 2 physicians, 2 pharmacists, 1 physiotherapist, and 1 respiratory therapist), who worked in two intensive care units of an Ontario hospital. After six months of meetings, 21 individual interviews were conducted with nurses, physicians, pharmacists, and nurse educators. Additional data collection included two focus groups, surveys, a review of staff meeting minutes, and researcher field notes. Findings: Journal clubs provided nurses with incentive to read research articles, improved nurses’ confidence in reading research, created a community of peers who worked collaboratively to improve clinical practice, provided a structure for nurses to reflect-on-practice, and led to reported changes in clinical practice. However, the data suggests that any gains in competence of nurses with the critical appraisal of research articles were probably modest. Barriers to participating in journal clubs and evidence-based practice are also identified. Conclusion: Journal clubs can foster knowledge translation and evidence-based practice through creating a community of practice and by providing nurses with motivation, structure, and confidence to read research articles. However, nurses reported a lack of critical appraisal skills and uncertainty about how to implement evidence into practice. Journal clubs may have a greater impact when implemented alongside other knowledge translation strategies such as working with clinical nurse specialists in order to enhance evidence-based practice.

Introduction The purpose of this study was to improve Indonesian nursing students' self-directed learning readiness. An educational intervention program (EIP) was developed, implemented and evaluated. Background to the study Many studies have documented the need for nursing students to be prepared for the rapidly changing and complex health care environment. Lifelong, self-directed learning (SDL) has been identified as an important ability for nursing graduates. However, no study has documented the needs of, or preparation required for, nursing students to function effectively in the rapidly changing health care system in Indonesia. The Indonesian diploma nursing schools still use a teacher-centred approach with little emphasis on a student-centred approach. Method The study used a mixed method involving both quantitative and qualitative design. Simple random sampling was used to select an intervention school and control school. The sample was 2nd year nursing students with 47 in the intervention group and 54 in the control group. A pre-post test questionnaire, using the Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale (Guglielmino, 1978), was used to collect quantitative data and focus group discussions (FGD) were used to collect qualitative data regarding students' perceptions of SDL prior to and at the completion of study. The intervention group received an EIP. The Staged Self-Directed Learning Model (Grow, 1991) and the Teacher Student Control Continuum (D'A Slevin & Lavery, 1991) were used as the organising framework. A self-learning module and learning plans were used as learning strategies to operationalise SDL concepts alongside teacher-centred methods. The control group received the existing teacher-centred methods. At the completion of the intervention, clinical instructors from both the intervention and control groups participated in FGD to explore their perceptions of students' activities during the EIP. Results For the majority of students, readiness for SDL was 'below average'. The mean for the Indonesian nursing students was significantly lower than established norms (Guglielmino, 1978). The introduction of SDL concepts through an EIP improved the level of readiness for SDL in the intervention group from 'below average' to 'average' compared to the control group who remained in the 'below average' range. Higher SDL readiness was reported by female students and students who completed the educational intervention. The FGD before the intervention revealed that students perceived SDL as a 'self-activity'. Perceptions of students in the intervention group changed during the EIP compared to students in the control group. Students in the intervention group viewed SDL as a 'process of learning'. Increased self-confidence, incremental learning, and having direction in learning were identified as benefits of SDL. Knowledge and skills in SDL, learning materials and communication were identified as important issues that needed to be improved. Clinical Instructors' perceptions of students' clinical activities confirmed that students in the intervention group were 'more active' compared to the control group who were 'still inactive'. Conclusion The study confirmed the expected effect of the EIP on students' SDL readiness. The EIP improved nursing students' readiness for SDL and had a positive impact on students' perceptions of SDL. Introducing the concept of SDL through the EIP was found acceptable by the sample and was deemed feasible to implement within the Indonesian nursing education system. The study has potential to make a significant contribution to nursing education in Indonesia by promoting lifelong learning and SDL in nursing students and in curricula through the development of innovative curricula and teaching and learning practices. The study also has potential wider benefit to nursing practice and global health practice.

Thesis (Ph.D.) -- McMaster University, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 116-130). Also available via World Wide Web.

Extracurricular enterprise activities have steadily increased over the past decade within universities (Rae et al., 2012), as has the domain of entrepreneurial learning research (Wang and Chugh, 2014) yet limited empirical research examines links between the two phenomena. This thesis connects educational theory, entrepreneurial learning theory and entrepreneurial education research to examine the role that extracurricular enterprise activities may have within the entrepreneurial learning processes of students at United Kingdom Higher Education Institutions. Utilising a social constructionist paradigm of enquiry this thesis critically examines perceptions of the value of extracurricular enterprise activities from an educator and student perspective. A semi-structured survey (n=55) and in depth interviews with students (n=23) and enterprise educators (n=3) across 24 UK universities explored what extracurricular enterprise activities students engaged in, their motivations for engagement and the perceived value of extracurricular enterprise activities in relation to entrepreneurial learning processes. Findings suggest that extracurricular enterprise activities not only provide value in the experiential and social learning opportunities afforded for participants, but the positioning of these activities outside of the main curriculum enables students to develop their autonomous learning capabilities. The results contribute to an emerging body of literature examining self-directed learning activities and entrepreneurial learning (Van Gelderen, 2010; Tseng, 2013). The thesis concludes that while experiential and social learning opportunities occupy a central role within entrepreneurial learning processes of university students, self-directed learning activities are increasingly important, and emphasis should be placed upon enabling students to self-direct their entrepreneurial learning processes. For policy and practice, this research provides additional scrutiny of the proposition that extracurricular enterprise activities positively enhance learning through examining what extracurricular enterprise activities students choose to engage in and the benefits they perceive they attained. This research also provides an enhanced understanding of how students interpret and apply the theoretical concept of entrepreneurial learning. Research examining entrepreneurial learning is important in enabling a more effective understanding of the entrepreneurial process yet studies examining student perceptions of entrepreneurial learning remain limited (Mueller and Anderson, 2014; Wang and Chugh, 2014). Finally, this thesis presents the central role of self-directed learning activities to students’ entrepreneurial learning processes and provides recommendations for enhancing entrepreneurial education.

Note from the Library: The fulltext electronic version of this thesis has been removed due to restricted content. Please contact the Unisa Library for more details. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Industrial Psychology)

The purpose of this study was to examine students' experiences and perceptions of multiple interaction activities (self-directed, peer, and teacher feedback) implemented in a large multilevel EFL writing class in one private technological university in the southern part of Taiwan. Large size writing classes, quite common in private institutions of higher education in Taiwan, cannot be effectively operated to meet individual students' needs in improving their writing performance. Low achievers have difficulties in keeping up with competent writers in learning writing skills while advanced students complain of their learning too little from the class. This research, based on the activity system model proposed by Engestrom (1987), was a case study in which interviewing student participants, observing classroom activities, audiotaping peer response sessions, and examining students' drafts and feedback sheets were the methods to collect data. The qualitative software, ATLAS.ti, was employed to analyze interview and peer response data according to the code lists developed for this purpose. A rubric was developed to examine the changes students made after having incorporated the three types of feedback into their drafts. Major findings indicated that intermediate and low achievers, though making more efforts in conducting self-directed feedback, felt unsatisfied with this activity while high achievers, investing less energy and time, gave more positive opinions to this activity. However, intermediate and low achievers gave a higher percentage of satisfaction to peer response activities than high achievers because the former could obtain more constructive peer feedback than the latter. In addition, all students were in favor of modified teacher feedback but gave negative opinions to traditional teacher feedback. On the whole, intermediate and low achievers, based on their preference, ranked teacher feedback the most important, then peer feedback and finally self-directed feedback whereas high achievers placed teacher feedback first, self-directed feedback second, and peer feedback last. Student writers' responses to each type of feedback were closely related to the amount of constructive comments they received. The more helpful suggestions they obtained, the more positive opinions they gave to a certain type of feedback. In the end of the study, recommendations were made for curriculum designers, classroom practitioners, and further studies.

Dans l’environnement socio-économique d’une économie de la connaissance naissante et d’un durcissement de la concurrence due au changement d’échelle des échanges, savoir « apprendre » et « entreprendre » semblent devenir une nécessité de survie pour les organisations. Mais c’est sur l’individu lui-même que repose cette double injonction attitudinale. L’Europe souhaite notamment que l’étudiant-e en formation initiale soit capable de faire preuve d’une attitude positive et autonome en apprentissage ainsi que d’une attitude entrepreneuriale. Cette attitude relativement stable et favorable à l’acte d’apprendre, quelle que soit la situation, est appelée « apprenance ». Quant à l’esprit d’entreprendre, il correspond à l’attitude de proactivité. L’auteur commence par valider le caractère opératoire de ces deux instruments de mesure. Puis il étudie de manière quantitative, la manifestation de ces attitudes chez les étudiants de trois filières de spécialisation métier sur deux niveaux d’étude. Il fait alors le constat que d’une certaine indépendance entre l’attitude d’apprenance, qui correspond davantage à une curiosité cognitive teintée d’affectivité, et l’attitude de proactivité, qui correspond à un agir spécifique fait d’anticipation, de contrôle de l’action et de goût pour le défi. Cette recherche conclut que l’échelle d’apprenance complétée par la mesure de l’attitude proactive, permettra de mieux caractériser une disposition à l’apprentissage autodirigé. Ces deux attitudes ont en commun un rapport enthousiaste au changement, une curiosité qui rend disponible envers les opportunités et un effet de renforcement de l’attitude par la réalisation du comportement correspondant. / Faced with the challenges of globalization, Europe wishes to distinguish itself by developing a knowledge society in which the individual becomes a knowledge worker. Within this context, Europe would like that all postgraduate students will be able to learn with autonomy and to act as an entrepreneur in organizations. The analysis we have conducted concerns the study of the correlation between a positive attitude to learning called “learnance” and a positive attitude to entrepreneurial action. This supposes that in the near future, post-graduate students will need to focus on elaborating a lifelong learning strategy, and at the same time manage their career-building projects. After contributing actively to the development and adaptation of two scales measuring the learnance and the Proactive Personality Scale, the author of this research begins by validating the operational nature of these two measuring instruments. Then he makes a quantitative study of the manifestation of these attitudes among students in three areas of specialization on two levels of study.  These observations lead us to note that the attitude of learnance, which can be defined as a cognitive curiosity involving emotion, is distinct from the attitude of proactivity, which implies a specific act involving anticipatory, controlled action and a taste for challenge. However, learnance with the degree of a proactive attitude will enable us to better characterize a readiness to self-directed learning. These two attitudes share an enthusiastic disposition to change, openness towards opportunities and a reinforcing of attitude by the presence of appropriate behaviour.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Educational Leadership / Sarah Fishback / This exploratory study analyzed changes in self-directed learning of Army officers attending the Army’s Command and General Staff Officers Course, CGSOC, by applying a quasi-experimental, pretest posttest, comparative approach based on the attribute independent variables gender, race/ethnicity, level of education, and branch of Army. It also sought to inform implementation and assessment strategies in both the private and broader public sectors, specifically companies and organizations seeking to develop lifelong learners in the furtherance of creating or sustaining a learning organization. The study began with the administration of the Personal Responsibility Orientation to Self-directed Learning Scale (PRO-SDLS) during the first week of a ten-month resident course and concluded with a second administration of the PRO-SDLS at the end of the course. In addition to a total score, the PRO-SDLS provided results for four dependent variables: learner initiative, learner self-efficacy, learner control, and learner motivation. Though effect size varied, this study found a statistically significant difference in pretest to posttest scores differences between white and non-white in both total score and in the subcomponent of learner motivation. Additionally, the change in scores for learner motivation from pretest to posttest for whites was statically significant. Finally, the change in scores for the subcomponent of learner control between students with a bachelor’s degree and those with a master’s degree was also significant. The broader implication of these findings is the caution by Brockett and Hiemsta (1991) that adult educators should consider the individual characteristics of the learner when developing and delivering curriculum. In this case it would appear that either the curriculum or the delivery of the curriculum or a combination of the two may have been experienced differently by white and non-white Army officers; specifically regarding the development of learner motivation.

For Maldives, an island nation consisting of over 1190 islands, eLearning is the ideal form of delivery for higher education students on the 200 inhabited islands. This study explores Maldivian college students’ and their institutes’ eLearning readiness. Mixed methods research has been conducted using two questionnaires (one for the students and one for the lecturers) and semi-structured interviews. One hundred and eleven students from two private higher education institutes completed the questionnaires, 10 students were selected for interviews out of which 9 completed the interview. Students’ technological skills, access to technology and learning abilities, as well as their level of eLearning efficacy, are measured and further explored through interviews. Their lifestyle and family and workplace environments’ conduciveness for eLearning is explored. Similarly, 45 lecturers completed the questionnaire to obtain lecturers’ and institutes’ readiness for online teaching. The responses from the questionnaires allow exploration of Maldivian higher education students and institutes’ readiness for eLearning. Lecturers’ readiness is assessed by their skills and abilities to support eLearning students. Readiness of institutes are explored using semi-structured interviews with 2 senior staff from each college. The role of the three elements of the Community of Inquiry Framework: Cognitive Presence, Teaching Presence and Social Presence, in eLearning, is also explored through questionnaires and interviews. The research study’s findings are significant as it is the first research in the Maldives to provide such a case in support of eLearning readiness in higher education. The research study supports the transferability of the findings to comparable colleges and student populations in the Maldives.

There has been little or no research on the use of a Learning Object in the field of religious studies. The purpose of this research study was to assess undergraduate student knowledge gain outcomes between instructor-provided and learner-directed methods, which is the independent variable, using asynchronous, online, narrated PowerPoint presentations compared to undergraduate student knowledge gain using an online learning-objects unit, in a college-level world religions survey course at St. Petersburg College. This study assessed undergraduate student knowledge gain outcomes between instructor-provided and learner-directed methods among 90 college undergraduate students and determined whether there was a significant difference in the knowledge gain of students, a difference by gender, age, and major, in studying a unit of Jainism online in a world religions survey course using either a narrated PowerPoint presentation or using an Independent Learning Object, as well as their perception of the two methods. Students were divided randomly into two groups with each accessing one of the two learning methods. The results were the Learning Objects students’ knowledge gain was higher than the PowerPoint students, while females scored higher using the PowerPoint and males scored higher using the Learning Object. The implications of this study are that instructors in any discipline could better serve their students if they investigate using Learning Objects in their online learning rather than the use of PowerPoint. The majority of students who used the Learning Object online performed better than students who listened to the PowerPoint, supporting the contention that student-accessed learning leads to greater cognition. The implications of this study are that instructors in many disciplines could better serve their students if they implemented the use of Learning Objects in their online learning rather than the use of PowerPoint presentations.