Teaching Caring: A Descriptive Qualitative Study of Student Learning

1. Teaching Caring:A Descriptive Qualitative Study of Student Learning Alice Jensen, RN, MSN Mary Curtis, PhD, APRN-BC

2. Nursing Program –Liberal Arts University Philosophy Statement Developed with faculty and students who selected caring as a key concept to guide their study of the discipline of nursing University Mission- model for the integration of liberal and professional learning

3. Nursing Education • Value liberal arts • Challenged by a highly technical rapid changing system • Society who undervalues caring • Nurse- adaptive and proficient while maintaining caring environment

4. American Association of Colleges of Nursing 1998 -Study in the liberal arts facilitates the development of …. * caring attitudes *critical thinking

5. Disconnect • Most BSN programs have included the liberal arts into their nursing curriculum • Many still report a disconnect between courses in the liberal arts and professional nursing courses

6. Infusing liberal arts • music,art, literature, film • Psychosocial nursing

7. Teaching Strategy • Usually an introductory activity • Three short stories as outside reading, otherwise in-class activities only • A case study based on a film or book of student’s choice

9. Problem • How do we evaluate what is really going on? • How do I evaluate caring? • How do I evaluate learning?

10. Methodology • Qualitative study focused on describing and interpreting what is going on during class when music, art, literature, or film are introduced as learning strategies in a psychosocial nursing class • Human Subjects Committee Review

11. Sample • Convenience sample of students currently enrolled in class • N=25 • Only 2 males • Traditional age and a few older • 1 non-western student

12. Data Collection • Data collected during and/or after a teaching activity and at the end of the semester • Triangulate & replicate • Observations by grad students at 3 points in time • 5 minute reflection by students at 3 points in time • Instructor reflections after activity • Focus group evaluation at end of semester by second researcher

13. Data • Approximately 90 pieces of data to analyze plus the final focus group. • Data was narrative in written form • Primary investigator analyzed emerging data from field observations using constant comparison method • Focus group narrative

14. Data Analysis • Transcripts, questionnaires, field observations read independently • Coded independently • Themes generated • Coding discrepancies resolved through negotiation • Final coding

15. Themes • An interesting hook • A deeper level of understanding • Developing self-understanding • Developing empathy • Increasing cultural awareness

16. Interesting hook • I like how using the tapes, pictures, art, and movies changed the environment of the classroom • It helps begin the class and get the conversation started. • It got me hooked into thinking about the topic and quickly got me involved.

17. Deeper level of understanding • …this teaching strategy was unique and it made me think more outside the box. The painting made me think about non-verbal communication differently. • I thought it was a neat way to learn about how to read someone’s body language. It pointed someone, the same person, out to the whole class to analyze together. I learned new ways to look for people’s feelings without asking them

18. Deeper level of understanding • Sometimes when I was taking a test and I couldn’t think of the answer, I could think about a picture, or something you read in class, or music and it would help me answer the question • It makes me feel a little more comfortable about approaching people at clinical. Today [in clinical] we were able to talk to people and the lady by me was in a state like the picture and I didn’t know how to approach her. Now I have a better idea.

19. Developing self understanding • It made me more aware of my presence around others. I can be quite an outgoing person, and should be aware of the way I act around those who may not be quite as open • ..it made me think thoughts and feelings about the painting I hadn’t thought before when I saw it..

20. Developing empathy • …learned how to put myself into someone else’s shoes… • ..become a little more empathetic • I have a better idea of what is going on in the head of someone with a mental illness • It gave me a better understanding of what schizophrenics must go through just to react ‘normally’ to their environment

21. Increasing cultural awareness • I knew the song, but I never really listened to the lyrics before – I didn’t realize what it was about • I think this integration brought a perspectives about how values differ through culture and over time…Culturally it is important to know what we are dealing with in clinical settings…the way we treat people with mental illness has changed but still needs a lot of improvement

22. Pedagogical Issues • Graduate student observations were most helpful for pedagogical revisions • Teacher needs to keep silence if students are going to participate • One-minute reflections were effective • Write, pair, share • Anonymity increased participation

23. Discussion • Few students voiced negatives • Art interpretation most difficult; music easiest.

24. Conclusion • Students are able to make connections between humanities and nursing content when they are integrated into nursing classrooms • Students become culturally aware, more self-reflective, and more empathetic through the integration of liberal and professional learning

25. Conclusion • Continue use of art, music, film, literature as a teaching strategy • Use methods that enhance participation by all students such as one-minute papers • Use questioning strategies • Careful balance between teacher interpretation and student opinion

26. Literature resources • MacBeth • The Yellow Wallpaper (Charlotte Perkins Gilman) • Thirst(Anne Lamott) • Patriotism (Yukio Mishima) • Poems by Sylvia Plath or Emily Dickenson

27. “Margaretaville” by Jimmy Buffett “I am a Rock” by Simon and Garfunkle “You’re so vain” by Carli Simon “Everybody Hurts” by REM “Whiskey Lullaby” by Brad Paisley “Concrete Angel” by Martina McBride” “White Rabbit” by Jefferson Airplane “Cocaine” by Eric Clapton “Unwell” by Matchbox Twenty Music Resources

28. The Plum by Degas The Potato Eaters by Van Gogh Self Portrait by Van Gogh At the Moulin Rouge by Lautrec The Scream by Munch The Persistence of Memory by Salvadore Dali Art.com Art Resources