How does group cooperation help improve self-directed learning ability in nursing students? A trial of one semester intervention.

BACKGROUND

Self-directed learning (SDL) ability prepares nursing students to adapt to learning after graduation. Jiang An-li's four-dimension model of SDL ability includes the "ability of self-management, ability to apply learning strategy, ability to obtain information and ability to cooperate". Students learning in small heterogeneous groups get the opportunity to work with peers from different backgrounds.

OBJECTIVE

To explore the effect of group cooperative learning on improving SDL ability and its possible path.

DESIGN

A quasi-experimental design was adopted.

PARTICIPANTS

Ninety nine sophomore nursing students (Mean age 21.29 ± 0.57) were enrolled in the study. Using the cluster sampling method, thirty students in one administrative class were arranged as a Group Cooperative Class (GCC) and another class (with 69 students) were arranged as a Conventional Class (CC).

METHODS

The teaching materials in both the GCC and the CC were from the same course - Fundamental Nursing Theories. The teaching activities in the GCC focused on group learning while those in the CC focused on the educator. Scale of SDL Ability (SSDLA) was employed to measure the SDL ability. SSDLA data and class evaluations were collected.

RESULTS

There were statistically significant differences in the total scores of SSDLA and sub dimensions of "ability of self-management", "ability to cooperate" between the GCC and the CC. The GCC scores of a paper test at the end of the semester were higher than those in the CC, with no statistical significance (p > 0.05). GCC students' evaluation of the course was higher than the CC's evaluation, but there was no statistical significance except on the questions of "diversity of teaching methods" and "flexibility of teacher-student interaction" (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The result of the current study is consistent with Jiang's four-dimension model and suggests that heterogeneous group learning in a small capacity class improves nursing students' SDL ability, possibly through improving their self-management and cooperation abilities.