Effects of constructivist teaching methods on bioethics education for nursing students: A quasi-experimental study

Background: In order to help nurses advocate for the patient's human rights and ensure respect for life in clinical situations, it is of utmost importance to improve nursing students' capacity to make ethical decisions. Objectives: This study compares the effects of two constructivist teaching strategies (action learning and cross-examination debate) on nursing students' recognition of bioethical issues, experience of bioethical issues, and attainment of ethical competence. Design: This study used a quasi-experimental (two-group pretest-posttest) design. Setting: A nursing college in South Korea. Participants: A total of 93 Korean nursing students participated in the study (46 in the action learning group and 47 in the cross-examination debate group). Methods: Participants took a bioethics class employing one or the other of the strategies mentioned, 2 h a week for 15 weeks. All participants responded twice to a set of questionnaires, at the beginning of the first session and at the end of the last session. Results: After their bioethics education, the students' recognition of bioethical issues improved for both classes; however, the knowledge of students who had participated in action learning improved more than that of the students in the debate-based class. Students in both groups reported more experience of bioethics and exposure to better-quality instruction in bioethics after their classes than previously. Students in both groups also reported improved ethical competency after this education. Conclusion: Positive effects of action learning and cross-examination debate implemented as teaching strategies on nursing students' understanding of bioethical issues and their ethical competency were identified; these findings will be important in the essential task of teaching bioethics to nursing students in order to foster more ethical decision-making and other ethical behavior. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.