Nurse educators and student nurse neophytes’ perceptions of good interaction in the classroom setting

Abstract

The first session of interaction in the classroom often sets an atmosphere for the entire period of learning. In terms of nurse educator and student nurse neophyte relations, good interaction is essential in helping students to recognise their own responsibilities and to respond positively during the learning process. The purpose of this study was to determine the nurse educators’ and student nurse neophytes’ perceptions of good interaction in the classroom setting. The study attempted to answer the following specific question: ‘What do nurse educators and student nurse neophytes regard as examples of good interaction in the classroom setting?’ The accessible population in this study were all student nurse neophytes registered with the University of Venda for the Baccalaureus Curationis, and nurse educators responsible for teaching first-year student nurses in this programme. The study used probability stratified random sampling to obtain two heterogeneous groups of student participants. Forty first-year student nurses were divided into homogenous subsets of 15 male and 25 female students. A random sampling was conducted to arrive at 10 male and 15 female students. The sampling method relating to nurse educators was purposive sampling. Focus groups were used to interview students using individual indepth interviews to gather data from nurse educators. Coding was used to organise the data collected during the interviews. The study revealed that nurse educators and student nurse neophytes concur that the ethical behaviours influencing good interaction are respect and
support, good communication, honesty and openness. Age, gender and cultural background were also factors. The participants further indicated that good interaction has benefits such as improved co-operation levels, the enhancement of learning, the improvement of pass rates, and a reduction in dropout rates. In conclusion, there is a need for nurse educators and student nurses to develop good practices to promote good interaction in the classroom setting.