Inspiring a spirit of inquiry in nursing undergraduate students

Abstract

Purpose: To measure the effectiveness of a student-developed self-directed module and rubric on pre-nursing students’ evidence table (ET) scores over the course of a semester. Background: Teaching research to undergraduate students in an engaging manner can be challenging and intricate (Sin & Bliquez, 2017). Students often struggle with the topic and do not understand how evidence-based practice (EBP) impacts clinical practice (Ryan, 2016). Nurses' ability to implement EBP relies greatly on their skills to evaluate research. However, nursing students often find EBP a challenging topic and fail to understand its role in advancing the profession (Andre et al., 2016). To foster a spirit of inquiry in a pre-nursing honors course, students were introduced to critiquing research articles and completing evidence tables, using a self-study module and scoring rubric developed by a student. A low-stakes approach was utilized to foster independence and a spirit of inquiry; rather than receiving an assignment grade, students received feedback scores on 12 ET elements. Students then utilized the self-study module resources to improve scores on each assignment.