Enhancing generic capabilities and metacognitive awareness of first-year nursing students using active learning strategy
Abstract Background Developing students’ generic capabilities is a major goal of university education as it can help to equip students with life-long learning skills and promote holistic personal development. However, traditional didactic teaching has not been very successful in achieving this aim....
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
BMC
2021-05-01
|
| Series: | BMC Nursing |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-021-00601-7 |
| _version_ | 1818924449132445696 |
|---|---|
| author | Carmen Wing Han Chan Fiona Wing Ki Tang Ka Ming Chow Cho Lee Wong |
| author_facet | Carmen Wing Han Chan Fiona Wing Ki Tang Ka Ming Chow Cho Lee Wong |
| author_sort | Carmen Wing Han Chan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Developing students’ generic capabilities is a major goal of university education as it can help to equip students with life-long learning skills and promote holistic personal development. However, traditional didactic teaching has not been very successful in achieving this aim. Kember and Leung’s Teaching and Learning Model suggests an interactive learning environment has a strong impact on developing students’ generic capabilities. Metacognitive awareness is also known to be related to generic capability development. This study aimed to assess changes on the development of generic capabilities and metacognitive awareness after the introduction of active learning strategy among nursing students. Methods This study adopted a quasi-experimental single group, matched pre- and posttest design. It was conducted in a school of nursing at a university in Hong Kong. Active learning approaches included the flipped classroom (an emphasis on pre-reading) and enhanced lectures (the breaking down of a long lecture into several mini-lectures and supplemented by interactive learning activities) were introduced in a foundational nursing course. The Capabilities Subscale of the Student Engagement Questionnaire and the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory were administered to two hundred students at the start (T0) and at the end of the course (T1). A paired t-test was performed to examine the changes in general capabilities and metacognitive awareness between T0 and T1. Results A total of 139 paired pre- and post-study responses (69.5 %) were received. Significant improvements were observed in the critical thinking (p < 0.001), creative thinking (p = 0.03), problem-solving (p < 0.001) and communication skills (p = 0.04) with the implementation of active learning. Significant changes were also observed in knowledge of cognition (p < 0.001) and regulation of cognition (p < 0.001) in the metacognitive awareness scales. Conclusions Active learning is a novel and effective teaching approach that can be applied in the nursing education field. It has great potential to enhance students’ development of generic capabilities and metacognitive awareness. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-20T02:25:30Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-45ed487def8849de805675879708bf93 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1472-6955 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-20T02:25:30Z |
| publishDate | 2021-05-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Nursing |
| spelling | doaj.art-45ed487def8849de805675879708bf932022-12-21T19:56:42ZengBMCBMC Nursing1472-69552021-05-012011810.1186/s12912-021-00601-7Enhancing generic capabilities and metacognitive awareness of first-year nursing students using active learning strategyCarmen Wing Han Chan0Fiona Wing Ki Tang1Ka Ming Chow2Cho Lee Wong3The Nethersole School of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong KongThe Nethersole School of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong KongThe Nethersole School of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong KongThe Nethersole School of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong KongAbstract Background Developing students’ generic capabilities is a major goal of university education as it can help to equip students with life-long learning skills and promote holistic personal development. However, traditional didactic teaching has not been very successful in achieving this aim. Kember and Leung’s Teaching and Learning Model suggests an interactive learning environment has a strong impact on developing students’ generic capabilities. Metacognitive awareness is also known to be related to generic capability development. This study aimed to assess changes on the development of generic capabilities and metacognitive awareness after the introduction of active learning strategy among nursing students. Methods This study adopted a quasi-experimental single group, matched pre- and posttest design. It was conducted in a school of nursing at a university in Hong Kong. Active learning approaches included the flipped classroom (an emphasis on pre-reading) and enhanced lectures (the breaking down of a long lecture into several mini-lectures and supplemented by interactive learning activities) were introduced in a foundational nursing course. The Capabilities Subscale of the Student Engagement Questionnaire and the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory were administered to two hundred students at the start (T0) and at the end of the course (T1). A paired t-test was performed to examine the changes in general capabilities and metacognitive awareness between T0 and T1. Results A total of 139 paired pre- and post-study responses (69.5 %) were received. Significant improvements were observed in the critical thinking (p < 0.001), creative thinking (p = 0.03), problem-solving (p < 0.001) and communication skills (p = 0.04) with the implementation of active learning. Significant changes were also observed in knowledge of cognition (p < 0.001) and regulation of cognition (p < 0.001) in the metacognitive awareness scales. Conclusions Active learning is a novel and effective teaching approach that can be applied in the nursing education field. It has great potential to enhance students’ development of generic capabilities and metacognitive awareness.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-021-00601-7Active learningGeneric capabilitiesMetacognitive awarenessNursing students |
| spellingShingle | Carmen Wing Han Chan Fiona Wing Ki Tang Ka Ming Chow Cho Lee Wong Enhancing generic capabilities and metacognitive awareness of first-year nursing students using active learning strategy BMC Nursing Active learning Generic capabilities Metacognitive awareness Nursing students |
| title | Enhancing generic capabilities and metacognitive awareness of first-year nursing students using active learning strategy |
| title_full | Enhancing generic capabilities and metacognitive awareness of first-year nursing students using active learning strategy |
| title_fullStr | Enhancing generic capabilities and metacognitive awareness of first-year nursing students using active learning strategy |
| title_full_unstemmed | Enhancing generic capabilities and metacognitive awareness of first-year nursing students using active learning strategy |
| title_short | Enhancing generic capabilities and metacognitive awareness of first-year nursing students using active learning strategy |
| title_sort | enhancing generic capabilities and metacognitive awareness of first year nursing students using active learning strategy |
| topic | Active learning Generic capabilities Metacognitive awareness Nursing students |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-021-00601-7 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT carmenwinghanchan enhancinggenericcapabilitiesandmetacognitiveawarenessoffirstyearnursingstudentsusingactivelearningstrategy AT fionawingkitang enhancinggenericcapabilitiesandmetacognitiveawarenessoffirstyearnursingstudentsusingactivelearningstrategy AT kamingchow enhancinggenericcapabilitiesandmetacognitiveawarenessoffirstyearnursingstudentsusingactivelearningstrategy AT choleewong enhancinggenericcapabilitiesandmetacognitiveawarenessoffirstyearnursingstudentsusingactivelearningstrategy |