Purpose: This study was conducted to examine effects of a learning portfolio by identifying the learning of nursing students taking a learning portfolio-utilized nursing management class.
Methods: A non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest design was used. Participants were 83 senior students taking the nursing management course in one of the Departments of Nursing at 2 Universities. Experimental group (n=42) received a learning portfolio-utilized nursing management class 15 times over 15 weeks (3 hours weekly). Self-directed learning abilities, approaches to learning and learning flow of the participants were examined with self-report structured questionnaires. Data were collected between September 2 and December 16, 2014, and were analyzed using chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, independent t-test and ANCOVA with SPSS/PC version 21.0.
Results: After the intervention the experimental group showed significant increases in self-directed learning abilities, deep approaches to learning and learning flow compared to the control group. However, no significant difference was found between groups for surface approaches to learning.
Conclusion: Learning activities using the learning portfolios could be effective in cultivating the learning competency for growth of knowledge, technology and professionalism by increasing personal concentration and organization ability of the nursing students so that they can react to the rapidly changing environment.
Keywords: Education; Learning; Nursing students.