Embedded academic writing support for nursing students with English as a second language

Effectiveness of peer-assisted teaching of medical English skills to non-native English-speaking medical students

Background

Peer-assisted learning has been shown to be constructive in numerous aspects of undergraduate medical education. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of peer-assisted teaching of medical English skills to non-native English-speaking students.

Methods

A medical English conversation course was conducted at Damascus University by a group of students. Targeted participants were intermediate level fellow students from the same program. A longitudinal study was carried out between 1 st to 31 st March 2019 to assess changes in self-assessment of English language skills among course participants. Pre- and post-course appraisal involved a review of previous experience with medical English language, a self-assessment of five English language skills, and an objective measurement of medical English knowledge. In addition, participants were requested to respond to a set of statements related to the importance and the usefulness of peer-assisted teaching of medical English skills. Paired-sample Student t-test was used to compare pre- and post-course appraisal results.

Results

42 students attended the course and completed pre- and post-course appraisals in full. Data analyses showed a statistically significant increase in participants' confidence in speaking medical English in public ( p<0.001) and using English in various medical settings (presenting and discussing cases, writing clinical reports, interviewing patients and reading English medical texts). Objective measurements of medical English knowledge confirmed a significant increase in participants' knowledge of methods of administration of therapeutics, knowledge of human body parts in English and familiarity with English medical abbreviations. Most participants agreed that peer-education was effective in teaching medical English skills to non-native English-speaking students and in increasing their confidence when using English in real-life medical scenarios.

Conclusions

The present study highlights the effectiveness of peer-assisted teaching of medical English skills to non-native English-speaking medical students. Further validation is required and should compare the effectiveness of traditional versus peer-assisted teaching approaches.

A multi-layered approach to developing academic written communication skills for nursing students

OBJECTIVES

Academic literacy in nursing students has historically been poor this research therefore aimed to investigate the effectiveness of an embedded multidisciplinary approach to academic written communication skills for first year Bachelor of Nursing students in Australia.

METHODS

This initiative consisted of (1) collaboratively embedding academic skills with nursing staff and Learning and Academic Skills Advisors using scaffolded tasks, curriculum/material development, workshops/tutorials on writing skills; and (2) individual support sessions. Data was obtained via questionnaire.

RESULTS

Responses were received from 92 (74% local and 26% international) students. Key findings showed the collaborative approach to embedding skills with added follow up, was beneficial for students' skills development, including improved academic writing, increased confidence, and recognition of the importance of academic writing.

CONCLUSIONS

It is important to equip student to develop academic literacy and an embedded academic literacy program has been determined to assist and may contribute to future professionalisation in nursing.

Challenges, coping responses and supportive interventions for international and migrant students in academic nursing programs in major host countries: a scoping review with a gender lens

Background

International and migrant students face specific challenges which may impact their mental health, well-being and academic outcomes, and these may be gendered experiences. The purpose of this scoping review was to map the literature on the challenges, coping responses and supportive interventions for international and migrant students in academic nursing programs in major host countries, with a gender lens.

Methods

We searched 10 databases to identify literature reporting on the challenges, coping responses and/or supportive interventions for international and migrant nursing students in college or university programs in Canada, the United-States, Australia, New Zealand or a European country. We included peer-reviewed research (any design), discussion papers and literature reviews. English, French and Spanish publications were considered and no time restrictions were applied. Drawing from existing frameworks, we critically assessed each paper and extracted information with a gender lens.

Results

One hundred fourteen publications were included. Overall the literature mostly focused on international students, and among migrants, migration history/status and length of time in country were not considered with regards to challenges, coping or interventions. Females and males, respectively, were included in 69 and 59% of studies with student participants, while those students who identify as other genders/sexual orientations were not named or identified in any of the research. Several papers suggest that foreign-born nursing students face challenges associated with different cultural roles, norms and expectations for men and women. Other challenges included perceived discrimination due to wearing a hijab and being a ‘foreign-born male nurse’, and in general nursing being viewed as a feminine, low-status profession. Only two strategies, accessing support from family and other student mothers, used by women to cope with challenges, were identified. Supportive interventions considering gender were limited; these included matching students with support services' personnel by sex, involving male family members in admission and orientation processes, and using patient simulation as a method to prepare students for care-provision of patients of the opposite-sex.

Conclusion

Future work in nursing higher education, especially regarding supportive interventions, needs to address the intersections of gender, gender identity/sexual orientation and foreign-born status, and also consider the complexity of migrant students’ contexts.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12912-021-00678-0.

An online academic writing and publishing skills course: Help Syrians find their voice

PURPOSE

A group of Arab-American physicians and researchers in the United States organized a blended online course in academic writing and publishing in medicine targeting medical students and physicians in war-torn Syria. This was an effort to address one of the reasons behind the poor quantity and quality of scientific research papers in Syria and the Arab region. In this paper, we report on the design, conduct, and outcome of this course and attempt to evaluate its effectiveness.

METHODS

The educational intervention was a 2-month blended online course. We administered a questionnaire to assess satisfaction and self-reported improvement in knowledge, confidence, and skills of academic writing and publishing.

RESULTS

The course succeeded in reaching more than 2588 physicians and medical students from the region; 159 of them completed most of the course. Eighty-three percent of the participants felt that they were confident enough to write an academic paper after the course and 95% felt the learning objectives were achieved with an average student satisfaction of 8.4 out of 10.

CONCLUSION

Physicians in Syria and neighboring countries are in need of training to become an active part of the global scientific community and to document and communicate the crisis their countries are going through from a medical perspective. Low-cost online educational initiatives help respond, at least partially, to those needs.

Academic Success for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Nursing Students: An Integrative Review

BACKGROUND

Culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) students are at increased risk for attrition from prelicensure nursing programs. The literature clearly describes the struggles of CALD nursing students, and interventions that have increased student satisfaction and feelings of belonging. There is less evidence for interventions that correlate with academic outcomes. This integrative review sought to identify studies with an intervention and evaluation of an academic outcome for CALD nursing students.

METHOD

An integrative review was done according to the methodology described by Whittemore and Knafl. Two reviewers evaluated literature from 2000 to 2019 and identified 11 articles for analysis.

RESULTS

Evidence based strategies to support CALD nursing student academic success include formal educational interventions, linguistic modification of test items, peer support, and multiple intervention programs.

CONCLUSION

This review identified evidence-based strategies to support CALD nursing student success and made recommendations for nursing research and education. [J Nurs Educ. 2020;59(10):551-556.].

Using the peer review process to educate and empower emerging nurse scholars

Peer review, in various forms, is fundamental to research-based fields and scholarly publication. The integrity of the publication process is necessary to advance nursing science and support clinical nursing practice. The peer review process undergirds publication and grant funding. In theory, peer review should occur in a process that is unbiased with results providing a fair assessment of the scientific merit and credibility of the work being reviewed. The purpose of peer review is lost if reviewer comments are unprofessional. Budding nurse scholars may be demoralized and discouraged to revise and resubmit their work after receiving review feedback they perceive unprofessional and lacking constructive recommendations on how to improve their work. This "incivility" in the peer review process may discourage nursing authors from revising and resubmitting their work, thus robbing nursing of potentially meaningful contributions to nursing science. Often beginning doctorate nursing students have little or no experience in having their scholarly works evaluated and receiving feedback via the peer review process. Peer review provides an opportunity to educate emerging nurse scholars on ways to improve their writing skills and ways to receive and respond to constructive, meaningful feedback. This article aims to discuss: 1) peer review process, 2) challenges with peer review, 3) impact of unprofessional peer review comments and incivility in nursing peer review process can have on a budding scientists and nurse scholars, 4) ways the peer review process can be used to educate and empower emerging nurse scholars, 5) implications for nursing scholarship, 6) recommendations to address bias and how to provide supportive and constructive feedback and 7) finally provide readers with available resources where they can learn more about how to conduct a peer review.

Using a science simulation-based learning tool to develop students' active learning, self-confidence and critical thinking in academic writing

Simulation is one teaching strategy that health educators use to promote active learning, however, evidence to support whether students utilising simulations develop skills in critical thinking and appraisal in their academic literacy, is lacking. This study explored the impact of embedding a desktop simulation about the hemolytic disease of the newborn (HDN) in a first-year, undergraduate nursing course on students' acquisition of knowledge, self-confidence, and development of critical thinking in academic writing. The study used a quasi-experimental, two-group, and pre-test-post-test design. After using the simulation, students reported i. a positive learning experience, ii. an increase in their self-confidence to critically appraise a case study, and iii. greater student success in two assessments for student's participating in the simulation compared to students who only used lecture notes as a study tool. The findings support the use of simulations to promote active learning, knowledge acquisition and opportunities to develop self-confidence and critical thinking in academic writing.

Using gamification to develop academic writing skills in dental undergraduate students

OBJECTIVES

To assess the satisfaction of first-year dental students with gamification and its effect on perceived and actual improvement of academic writing.

METHODS

Two first-year classes of dental undergraduate students were recruited for the study which extended over 4 months and ended in January 2015. A pre-intervention assessment of students' academic writing skills was performed using criteria to evaluate writing. The same criteria were used to evaluate the final writing assignment after the intervention. Students' satisfaction with game aspects was assessed. The per cent change in writing score was regressed on scores of satisfaction with game aspects controlling for gender. Perceived improvement in writing was also assessed.

RESULTS

Data from 87 (94.6%) students were available for analysis. Students' overall satisfaction with the gamified experience was modest [mean (SD) = 5.9 (2.1)] and so was their overall perception of improvement in writing [mean (SD) = 6.0 (2.2)]. The per cent score of the first assignment was 35.6 which improved to 80 in the last assignment. Satisfaction with playing the game was significantly associated with higher percentage of improvement in actual writing skills [regression coefficient (95% confidence interval) = 21.1 (1.9, 40.2)].

CONCLUSION

Using gamification in an obligatory course for first-year dental students was associated with an improvement in academic writing skills although students' satisfaction with game aspects was modest and their willingness to use gamification in future courses was minimal.

A systematic review of assessment and intervention strategies for effective clinical communication in culturally and linguistically diverse students

OBJECTIVE

Culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) students often experience difficulties with the clinical communication skills that are essential for successful interactions in the workplace. However, there is little evidence on the effectiveness of assessment and intervention strategies for this population. The two aims of this study were: to evaluate the effectiveness of assessment tools in identifying and describing the clinical communication difficulties of CALD health care students; and to determine whether communication programmes improved their clinical communication skills.

METHODS

Systematic review based on the Cochrane protocol. Articles were identified through a search of established databases using MeSH and key search terms. Studies published in English from 1990 to March 2015 were included if they described assessment strategies or a training programme for communication skills of CALD students. Studies were excluded if they did not describe implementation of a specific assessment or intervention programme. Data were extracted independently by the first author and verified by the second author. Quality was measured by the Best Evidence Medical Education guide and the Educational Interventions Critical Appraisal Tool. The Kirkpatrick hierarchy was used to measure impact. Meta-analysis was not conducted because of the heterogeneity of programme design and outcome measures.

RESULTS

One hundred and twenty-nine articles met the criteria for full text review. Eighty-six articles were excluded. Thirteen articles addressing assessment and 30 articles reporting on communication training programmes were included in this review. Assessment tools used rubrics and rating scales effectively. Intervention studies focused on speech and language skills (n = 20), interpersonal skills (n = 7) and faculty-level support (n = 5). Although 17 studies reported positive findings on student satisfaction, only eight reported improved skills post-training.

CONCLUSIONS

The development of effective assessment and intervention programmes should have an integrated design and include specific outcome measures to increase educational impact.

Method simple: An electronic interactive tool helping nursing students prepare for written and oral presentation

BACKGROUND

Developing reflective writing skills is an essential competency in nursing. Nursing schools recognize the importance of promoting scholarly thinking and academic writing amongst their student yet, there is a large gap in the tools and opportunities students receive to help them master these skills during their baccalaureate studies. Method SIMPLE is an innovative and interactive web based tool introduced in first year that can help nursing students prepare university papers both written and oral.

AIM OF THE STUDY

To discover how students learn to use the tool, what barriers affect proper use of the tool, and what role faculty plays in ensuring students' successful use of the tool. The study also sought to explore students' perception in regards to the contribution of the tool to improve their academic work.

RESEARCH METHOD USED

Data was collected using two research methodologies. Method SIMPLE has a built-in satisfaction survey at the end of each of the six modules that provides quantitative and qualitative data about the tool itself. A qualitative descriptive study was chosen to better understand student and faculty's perceptions regarding the tool. Data was collected during three focus groups.

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Students shared their experiences using the tool and talked at length about the importance Method SIMPLE's section "P" which explains in depth how to submit written papers. Participants recognized the benefits of having a web based tool. Results from the built-in evaluation surveys and descriptive analysis of the focus groups data also helped generate three types of recommendations: ways to enhance the tool itself, ways to enhance students' experience when using the tool and faculty's responsibility in helping students learn how to use the tool.

Can active learning principles be applied to the bioscience assessments of nursing students? A review of the literature

OBJECTIVES

To explore if active learning principles be applied to nursing bioscience assessments and will this influence student perception of confidence in applying theory to practice?

DESIGN AND DATA SOURCES

A review of the literature utilising searches of various databases including CINAHL, PUBMED, Google Scholar and Mosby's Journal Index.

METHODS

The literature search identified research from twenty-six original articles, two electronic books, one published book and one conference proceedings paper.

RESULTS

Bioscience has been identified as an area that nurses struggle to learn in tertiary institutions and then apply to clinical practice. A number of problems have been identified and explored that may contribute to this poor understanding and retention. University academics need to be knowledgeable of innovative teaching and assessing modalities that focus on enhancing student learning and address the integration issues associated with the theory practice gap. Increased bioscience education is associated with improved patient outcomes therefore by addressing this "bioscience problem" and improving the integration of bioscience in clinical practice there will subsequently be an improvement in health care outcomes.

CONCLUSION

From the literature several themes were identified. First there are many problems with teaching nursing students bioscience education. These include class sizes, motivation, concentration, delivery mode, lecturer perspectives, student's previous knowledge, anxiety, and a lack of confidence. Among these influences the type of assessment employed by the educator has not been explored or identified as a contributor to student learning specifically in nursing bioscience instruction. Second that educating could be achieved more effectively if active learning principles were applied and the needs and expectations of the student were met. Lastly, assessment influences student retention and the student experience and as such assessment should be congruent with the subject content, align with the learning objectives and be used as a stimulus tool for learning.

Is there a relationship between the diversity characteristics of nursing students and their clinical placement experiences? A literature review

BACKGROUND

There has been an increase in ethno-cultural, linguistic, and socio-demographical diversity in students enrolling in undergraduate nursing programs. Diversity also involves other characteristics, but little is known about how diversity impacts on the clinical experiences of nursing students.

AIM

The aim of this review is to identify studies which describe the clinical placement experiences of nursing students who have a broad range of diversity characteristics.

METHODS

Major databases were searched and original studies published from 2003 to 30 June 2013 were eligible for inclusion. An expanded definition of diversity was used to include characteristics such as ethnicity, language, age, religion, gender, socioeconomic status, carer responsibilities, sexual orientation and special needs/disability.

FINDINGS

Male gender and speaking English as a second language are diversity characteristics associated with a less positive clinical experience. These students are also more likely to leave their nursing program. Mature-aged students and those from ethnic minority groups were also noted to have a less positive clinical experience and in some cases, this also increased attrition. However, it was difficult to determine the impact of these characteristics alone as they appeared to be linked with other characteristics such as financial difficulties and carer responsibilities in the case of mature-aged students, and language and international student status in the case of ethnicity.

CONCLUSIONS

Given the significant benefits associated with preparing a diverse nursing workforce, it is an imperative to better understand the impact of diversity on nursing students to ensure that every placement becomes a positive and valuable learning experience.

Predictive validity of the post-enrolment English language assessment tool for commencing undergraduate nursing students

BACKGROUND

Nursing students with English as an additional language (EAL) may underperform academically. The post-enrolment English language assessment (PELA) is used in literacy support, but its predictive validity in identifying those at risk of underperformance remains unknown.

OBJECTIVES

To validate a PELA, as a predictor of academic performance.

DESIGN

Prospective survey design.

SETTING

The study was conducted at a university located in culturally and linguistically diverse areas of western Sydney, Australia.

PARTICIPANTS

Commencing undergraduate nursing students who were Australian-born (n=1323, 49.6%) and born outside of Australia (n=1346, 50.4%) were recruited for this study. The 2669 (67% of 3957) participants provided consent and completed a first year nursing unit that focussed on developing literacy skills.

METHOD

Between 2010 and 2013, commencing students completed the PELA and English language acculturation scale (ELAS), a previously validated instrument. The grading levels of the PELA tool were: Level 1 (proficient), Level 2 (borderline), and Level 3 (poor, and requiring additional support).

RESULTS

Participants with a PELA Level 2 or 3 were more likely to be: a) non-Australian-born (χ(2): 520.6, df: 2, p<0.001); b) spoke a language other than English at home (χ(2): 490.2, df: 2, p<0.001); and c) an international student (χ(2): 225.6, df: 2, p<0.001). There was an inverse relationship between participants' ELAS scores and PELA levels (r=-0.52, p<0.001), and those graded as 'proficient' with a PELA Level 1 were more likely to obtain higher scores in their: i) unit essay assessment (χ(2): 40.2, df: 2, p<0.001); ii) final unit mark (χ(2): 218.6, df: 2, p<0.001), and attain a higher GPA (χ(2): 100.8, df: 2, p<0.001).

CONCLUSION

The PELA is a useful screening tool in identifying commencing nursing students who are at risk of academic underachievement.

Biosciences within the pre-registration (pre-requisite) curriculum: an integrative literature review of curriculum interventions 1990-2012

BACKGROUND

The learning of biosciences is well-documented to be problematic as students find the subjects amongst the most difficult and anxiety-provoking of their pre-registration programme. Studies suggest that learning consequently is not at the level anticipated by the profession. Curriculum innovations might improve the situation but the effectiveness of applied interventions has not been evaluated.

OBJECTIVE

To undertake an integrative review and narrative synthesis of curriculum interventions and evaluate their effect on the learning of biosciences by pre-registration student nurses. Review methods A systematic search of electronic databases CINAHL, Medline, British Nursing Index and Google Scholar for empirical research studies was designed to evaluate the introduction of a curriculum intervention related to the biosciences, published in 1990-2012. Studies were evaluated for design, receptivity of the intervention and impact on bioscience learning.

RESULTS

The search generated fourteen papers that met inclusion criteria. Seven studies introduced on-line learning packages, five an active learning format into classroom teaching or practical sessions, and two applied Audience Response Technology as an exercise in self-testing and reflection. Almost all studies reported a high level of student satisfaction, though in some there were access/utilization issues for students using on-line learning. Self-reporting suggested positive experiences, but objective evaluation suggests that impacts on learning were variable and unconvincing even where an effect on course progress was identified. Adjunct on-line programmes also show promise for supporting basic science or language acquisition.

CONCLUSIONS

Published studies of curriculum interventions, including on-line support, have focused too heavily on the perceived benefit to students rather than objective measures of impact on actual learning. Future studies should include rigorous assessment evaluations within their design if interventions are to be adopted to reduce the 'bioscience problem'.

The impact of simulation-based learning on students' English for Nursing Purposes (ENP) reading proficiency: a quasi-experimental study

AIM

This is a report of a study which evaluated simulation-based learning as a teaching strategy for improving participants' ENP reading proficiency in the senior college program of students whose first language is Chinese, not English.

BACKGROUND

Simulation-based learning is known to be one of most effective teaching strategies in the healthcare professional curricula, which brings a clinical setting into the classroom. However, developing English reading skills for English written nursing journals through simulation-based learning in the nursing curricula, is largely unknown.

METHOD

We used a quasi-experimental approach with nonequivalent control group design to collect the causal connections between intervention and outcomes. 101 students were enrolled in this study (response rate 92.6%) of these 48 students volunteered for the intervention group, and 53 students for the control group.

RESULTS

The findings indicated that the intervention group had significantly higher mean scores in ENP reading proficiency with unknown words in the article (p=.004), vocabulary (p<.001), and comprehension (p<.001) compared to the control group. Also, the intervention students showed more improvement in their English reading, both from quantitative and qualitative findings.

CONCLUSION

Simulation-based learning may have some advantages in improving the English reading ability on English written nursing journals among nursing students. However, the benefits to the students of this study is still to be determined, and further exploration is needed with well designed research and a universal method of outcome measurement.

Developing as a scholarly writer: the experience of students enrolled in a PhD in nursing program in the United States

Graduates of doctoral nursing programs are expected to disseminate knowledge through scholarly writing, yet faculty teaching doctoral nursing students in two specific programs in western Pennsylvania in the United States noted students enter their doctoral programs with varying writing skills. The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to uncover the lived experience of developing as a scholarly writer. Data were collected through the use of a demographic questionnaire and personal interviews with 10 students enrolled in their first semester of coursework in a traditional, rather than online, 60-credit PhD in nursing program at a large state university in western Pennsylvania. All interviews were recorded and transcribed and served as rich data sources. Data were analyzed using a systematic approach consistent with hermeneutic phenomenology. Themes uncovered included (a) coming to know about scholarly writing, (b) shifting thinking in order to write scholarly, (c) giving birth: the pain and the pleasure of scholarly writing, and (d) putting all the pieces together into the final product. Findings from this study can help faculty to understand the experiences of nursing student scholarly writing development. Recommendations based on the findings include a collection of teaching strategies that can be used to facilitate scholarly writer development across all levels of nursing education.

Learning preference as a predictor of academic performance in first year accelerated graduate entry nursing students: a prospective follow-up study

The growth of accelerated graduate entry nursing programs has challenged traditional approaches to teaching and learning. To date, limited research has been undertaken in the role of learning preferences, language proficiency and academic performance in accelerated programs. Sixty-two first year accelerated graduate entry nursing students, in a single cohort at a university in the western region of Sydney, Australia, were surveyed to assess their learning preference using the Visual, Aural, Read/write and Kinaesthetic (VARK) learning preference questionnaire, together with sociodemographic data, English language acculturation and perceived academic control. Six months following course commencement, the participant's grade point average (GPA) was studied as a measurement of academic performance. A 93% response rate was achieved. The majority of students (62%) reported preference for multiple approaches to learning with the kinaesthetic sensory mode a significant (p=0.009) predictor of academic performance. Students who spoke only English at home had higher mean scores across two of the four categories of VARK sensory modalities, visual and kinaesthetic compared to those who spoke non-English. Further research is warranted to investigate the reasons why the kinaesthetic sensory mode is a predictor of academic performance and to what extent the VARK mean scores of the four learning preference(s) change with improved English language proficiency.