School of Nutrition Sciences, University of Ottawa.
Faculty of Education, University of Ottawa.
Can J Diet Pract Res. 2022 Sep 1;83(3):139-143. doi: 10.3148/cjdpr-2022-006. Epub 2022 May 3.
In nursing and medicine, taking part in simulation activities has been shown to be beneficial for students' learning; however, little has been documented in dietetics. This study aimed to document the perceived effect of 4 simulations on development of professional competencies by dietetic students. A mixed-method convergent approach was used with pre- and post-questionnaires, interviews, and a focus group discussion to look at dietetic students' perceptions of learning as part of a Nutrition Assessment course. Nonparametric tests for questionnaires and theme analysis for transcripts were used to examine data. After analysis, data were compared and merged for interpretation. Results showed that participants perceived a significant increase in comprehension of various competencies with simulations. In interviews and a focus group, a participant subgroup (n = 7) perceived an enriched understanding of some dietetic competencies compared with pre-simulations. Simulations seemed to have transformed classroom concepts to a more practical understanding of dietetic practice. More studies are needed to identify if these results could be replicated in different settings. Simulations had a positive effect on students' perception of competencies development and may be an andragogical tool of choice to support preparing future dietitians for entry to practice.
在护理和医学领域，参与模拟活动已被证明对学生的学习有益；然而，在营养学领域却鲜有相关记录。本研究旨在记录 4 项模拟活动对营养评估课程中营养学生专业能力发展的感知效果。采用混合方法的收敛方法，通过预调查和后调查、访谈和焦点小组讨论来观察营养学生的学习感知，作为学习的一部分。使用非参数检验和主题分析来分析调查问卷和转录本，以检查数据。分析后，将数据进行比较和合并以进行解释。结果表明，参与者认为模拟活动对各种能力的理解有显著提高。在访谈和焦点小组中，一个参与者小组（n=7）认为与模拟前相比，对某些营养能力的理解更加丰富。模拟似乎将课堂概念转化为对营养实践的更实际的理解。需要进一步研究以确定这些结果是否可以在不同环境中复制。模拟活动对学生对能力发展的感知产生了积极影响，并且可能是支持未来营养师进入实践的首选成人教育工具。
