Structured controversy versus lecture on nursing students' beliefs about and attitude toward providing care for persons with AIDS.

Like many nurses in clinical practice, a small sample of RN-to-BSN nursing students reported their negative attitude toward providing care for persons with AIDS (PWA). Structured controversy is an interactive educational approach that may promote positive attitudes. This experimental study compared the effectiveness of structured controversy with lecture on BSN students' beliefs about and attitude toward providing care for PWA. A questionnaire, based on Ajzen and Fishbein's (1980) theory of reasoned action, was completed by 51 BSN students following an AIDS class session, and by nursing faculty. When compared with students who had listened to the lecture, students who had participated in structured controversy were more positive in general, and were significantly more positive on individual attitude and belief items. Faculty perceptions of these nursing students' beliefs and attitudes were less positive than the students' actual beliefs and attitudes.