Exploration of the affordances of mobile devices in integrating theory and clinical practice in an undergraduate nursing programme
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Date
2015
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
AOSIS Publishing
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Promoting the quality and effectiveness of nursing education is an important
factor, given the increased demand for nursing professionals. It is important to establish
learning environments that provide personalised guidance and feedback to students about
their practical skills and application of their theoretical knowledge.
OBJECTIVE: To explore and describe the knowledge and points of view of students and
educators about introduction of new technologies into an undergraduate nursing programme.
METHOC: The qualitative design used Tesch’s (1990) steps of descriptive data analysis to
complete thematic analysis of the data collected in focus group discussions (FGDs) and
individual interviews to identify themes.
RESULTS: Themes identified from the students’ FGDs and individual interviews included:
mobile devices as a communication tool; email, WhatsApp and Facebook as methods of
communication; WhatsApp as a method of communication; nurses as role-models in the
clinical setting; setting personal boundaries; and impact of mobile devices in clinical practice
on professionalism. Themes identified from the FGD, individual interviews and a discussion
session held with educators included: peer learning via mobile devices; email, WhatsApp and
Facebook as methods of communication; the mobile device as a positive learning method;
students need practical guidance; and ethical concerns in clinical facilities about Internet
access and use of mobile devices.
CONCLUSION: The research project established an understanding of the knowledge and
points of view of students and educators regarding introduction of new technologies into
an undergraduate nursing programme with the aim of enhancing integration of theory and
clinical practice through use of mobile devices.
Description
Keywords
Mobile learning, Undergraduate nursing programme, Social media
Citation
Willemse, J. and Bozalek, V. (2015). Exploration of the affordances of mobile devices in integrating theory and clinical practice in an undergraduate nursing programme. Curationis, 38(2): Article 1510