The mediating role of nutritional care literacy on the relationship between self-directed learning ability and nursing competence

BACKGROUND

Nurses' nursing competence and nutritional care literacy directly affect patients' health and safety. Self-directed learning ability was pervasive throughout the entire work process of nursing work and was the basis for improving both. However, there are few studies has explored the mechanism from the perspective of nutritional care literacy. The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between self-directed learning ability and nursing competence, and to explore the mediating role of nutritional care literacy between self-directed learning and nursing competence among clinical nurses in China.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 805 clinical nurses recruited from seven general hospitals in Hunan Province, China, between January 25 and March 6, 2022. The self-directed learning ability, nutritional care literacy and nursing competence of nurses were evaluated through investigation. A total of 799 questionnaires were received, resulting in an response rate of 99.25%.We performed an intermediary modeling to examine the mediating roles of nutritional care literacy on the relationship between self-directed learning ability and nursing competence in clinical nurses.

RESULTS

Self-directed learning ability was positively correlated with nutritional care  literacy (r=0.792, P<0.001) and nursing competence (r=0.696, P<0.001). Nutritional care literacy was positively correlated with nursing competence (r=0.658, P<0.001). Nutritional care literacy mediated the relationship between self-directed learning ability and nursing competence. The mediating effect accounted for 32.48% of the total effect and 48.10% of the direct effect .

CONCLUSIONS

This study confirmed the positive correlation between self-directed learning ability, nutritional care literacy, and nursing competence. Nutritional care  literacy played a mediating role in the relationship between self-directed learning ability and nursing competence. The findings not only provide a novel strategy for cultivating nursing professionals and improving nurse disease care abilities, but also offer a new perspective for nursing educators and managers.

Reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the self-directed learning instrument in Chinese nursing students

BACKGROUND

In a rapidly changing healthcare environment, Self-directed learning (SDL) ability is recognized as a crucial condition for nursing students and nurse to deal with severe challenges positively. Developing SDL ability is becoming more and more important among nursing students. SDL is related to nursing students enhancing their own knowledge, skills and maintaining lifelong learning. This study is aim at translating the Self-directed Learning Instrument (SDLI) into Chinese and verify its reliability and validity among nursing students.

METHODS

The study adopted a cross-sectional design and the multistage sampling design. The SDLI was translated into Chinese, and the reliability and validity of the scale were tested among 975 nursing students.

RESULTS

The Cronbach's α value of the Chinese version of SDLI was 0.916. The split-half reliability coefficient was 0.829, and the retest coefficient was 0.884. The content validity index of the scale was 0.95. Furthermore, the four-factors model was obtained by using exploratory factor analysis, explaining 55.418% variance, and the communalities of the items ranged from 0.401 to 0.664. With modified confirmatory factor analysis, the fit indices were chi-square/degree of freedom (CMIN/DF) = 2.285, the comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.947, and the tucker lewis index (TLI) was 0.938. And, the model fitting indexes were all in the acceptable range and confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the model fit the SDLI well.

CONCLUSION

The Chinese version of SDLI has good validity and reliability among nursing students. It can be used to measure the SDL ability of nursing students in China.

Metacognition and learning transfer under uncertainty

OBJECTIVES

This study examined the possible correlation between metacognition and learning experience transfer of nursing students after engaging in an urgent and cognitively demanding clinical situation.

METHODS

This is a one-group post-test- only study design in which participants engaged in an emergency care scenario simulation and completed the Meta-Cognitive Awareness Scale - Domain Specific (MCAS-DS).

RESULTS

Study results revealed that participants' metacognitive awareness is significantly correlated to the learning transfer (p=0.0001) and GPA (p=0.006). There is also a positive correlation between learning transfer and GPA (p=0.04), clinical settings-based training experience (p=0.021) and metacognitive confidence (p=0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

This study may imply that academic achievement can be used as a potential screening tool to identify students requiring metacognitive training. It may also imply that metacognitive abilities can be enhanced indirectly through considering factors that may influence the transfer of learning such as increasing the hours of clinical training.

Association of learning environment and self-directed learning ability among nursing undergraduates: a cross-sectional study using canonical correlation analysis

OBJECTIVES

This study explores the relationship between the perception of the learning environment and self-directed learning (SDL) ability among nursing undergraduates.

DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

A cross-sectional study was conducted in December 2020 with 1096 junior and senior undergraduate nursing students (aged 16-22) from Wannan Medical College in Anhui Province, China.

OUTCOME MEASURES

The Chinese version of the Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure questionnaire and a validated Chinese version of college students' SDL ability scale were used to assess students' perceptions about their learning environment and their SDL ability. Canonical correlation analysis was performed to evaluate their correlation.

RESULTS

The total score for the learning environment was 120.60 (scoring rate: 60.30%), and the score for SDL ability was 89.25 (scoring rate: 63.75%). Analysis indicated that the first canonical correlation coefficient was 0.701 and the contribution rate was 94.26%. The perception of the learning environment was mainly determined by students' perception of learning (SPL) and academic self-perceptions (SASP), with SDL ability mainly determined by self-management ability and cooperative learning ability. SPL and SASP were positively correlated with self-management ability and cooperative learning ability. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that SPL, SASP, students' perceptions of atmosphere and students' social self-perceptions had a significant impact on SDL ability.

CONCLUSIONS

The SDL ability of nursing undergraduates was not high. SPL and SASP were positively correlated with self-management ability and cooperative learning ability. Nursing educators can improve students' SDL ability by changing their learning environment, using, for example, new student-centred teaching methods.

Nursing students' insights of learning evidence-based practice skills using interactive online technology: Scoping review

This scoping review aims to explore nursing students' insights of learning evidence-based practice skills through the use of interactive online technology. Studies were obtained from seven electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Web of Science, Scopus, and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global) until May 2021. This review adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis extension for Scoping Reviews and was guided by the Arksey and O'Malley framework (Scoping studies: Towards a methodological framework. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 2005, 8(1), 19-32). Findings were analyzed using thematic analysis. Three themes were derived from the 22 included studies: (1) embracing new changes, (2) challenges to tackle, and (3) towards future improvement. Many nursing students reported positive learning experiences of evidence-based practice skills using interactive online technology. The challenges faced by students and suggestions for improvement were discussed. Future online evidence-based practice courses should consider blended pedagogies, providing students with effective scaffolding (step-by-step guidance) and allowing students to choose their preferred instructional strategies. Thorough planning, testing, and orientation should be conducted before the programs' implementation. Lastly, future studies should aim to achieve higher study rigor to obtain more accurate results.

The impact of facilitation in a problem-based pedagogy on self-directed learning readiness among nursing students: a quasi-experimental study in Tanzania

Background

Self-directed learning is important in nursing as it is associated with improved clinical and moral competencies in providing quality and cost-effective care among people. However, unethical professional conduct demonstrated by some graduate nurses is linked with the way they are developed in schools alongside the content and pedagogies prescribed in nursing curricula. Pedagogical transformations appear to be inevitable to develop enthusiastic nursing students who can work independently in delivering quality and cost-effective nursing services to people. This study intended to examine the impact of facilitation in a problem-based pedagogy on self-directed learning readiness among undergraduate nursing students in Tanzania.

Methods

A controlled quasi-experimental design was conducted in Tanzanian higher training institutions from January to April 2019. A 40-item Self-directed learning Readiness scale for nursing education adopted from previous studies measured self-directed learning and the Student A descriptive analysis via a Statistical Package for Social Sciences software program (version 23) was performed to establish nursing students’ socio-demographic characteristics profiles. Independent samples t-test determined mean scores difference of self-directed learning readiness among nursing students between groups while regression analysis was performed to discriminate the effect of an intervention controlled with other co-related factors.

Results

The post-test results of self-directed learning readiness showed that nursing students scored significantly higher [(M = 33.01 ± 13.17; t (399) = 2.335; 95%CI: 0.486,5.668)] in the intervention group than their counterparts in the control. Findings of SDL readiness subscales were significantly higher among students in the intervention including self-management [(M = 10.11 ± 4.09; t (399) = 1.354; 95%CI: 0.173,4.026)], interest learning [(M = 9.21 ± 2.39; t (399) = 1.189; 95%CI: 0.166,4.323)] and self-control [(M = 13.63 ± 5.05; t (399) = 2.335; 95%CI: 0.486,5.668)]. The probability of nursing students to demonstrate self-directed learning readiness was 1.291 more times higher when exposed to the intervention (AOR = 1.291, p < 0.05, 95%CI: 0.767, 2.173) than in the control.

Conclusion

Facilitation in a problem-based pedagogy promises to change the spectrum of nursing learning habits potentially to their academic and professional achievements. Nurse tutors need to be empowered with it to prepare nursing students to meet their academic and professional potentials.