Student--teacher connection in clinical nursing education

J Adv Nurs. 2002 Mar;37(6):566-76. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2648.2002.02131.x.

Abstract

Background: The trend toward humanistic nursing education has called for a transformed student-teacher relationship that fosters learning and growth of students and teachers. Although such a relationship has been claimed to form the basis for student-teacher connection and to be a positive influence on students' learning outcomes, there is a paucity of research exploring these claims. Neither the nature of student-teacher connection nor the processes by which it occurs have been described.

Aims: A research study was undertaken to explore and describe undergraduate nursing students' experiences of connection within the student-teacher relationship and the effects of student-teacher connection on students' learning experiences in clinical nursing education.

Research design: The qualitative research approach of interpretive description was chosen for this study. Unstructured interviews and a focus group were used to collect data from eight undergraduate nursing students. Data were analysed using the process of constant comparative analysis, and revealed four interrelated major categories that formed a description of the students' experience of student-teacher connection.

Findings: This article presents part of the findings of this study. After describing the nature of student-teacher connection, the discussion focuses on the influence of teachers and other factors on the formation of student-teacher connection. Relevance is given to this discussion by describing the outcomes of connection for students' clinical learning experiences.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate / organization & administration*
  • Faculty, Nursing / standards*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Interpersonal Relations*
  • Male
  • Students, Nursing*