Assignment: Learning Theory and Educational Philosophies Paper
Assignment: Learning Theory and Educational Philosophies Paper
Assignment: Learning Theory and Educational Philosophies Paper
Assignment: Learning Theory and Educational Philosophies Sample
Learning Theory and Nursing Theory
The current nursing practice experiences an acute shortage of professionals necessitating continuous nursing education and entry into clinical practice. Broadly, nursing education equips learners with the appropriate skills for patient care and addressing workplace challenges. Theory-guided nursing education is implemented by integrating learning and nursing theories into the learning process.
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An appropriate learning theory for nursing education is behaviorism theory. O’Connor et al. (2022) explained that behaviorism focuses on how learners’ behaviors could be reinforced in the learning environment. As a result, behaviorism stresses the importance of reinforcing and rewarding positive behaviors in the teaching environment to ensure it reoccurs. Therefore, the theory guides nurse educators in instilling the required behavior for a healthy learning environment. A nursing theory suitable for nursing education is Florence Nightingale’s environmental theory. According to Gaines (2023), Nightingale demonstrates the role of the environment in influencing health and well-being. The theory identifies five environmental factors essential for decreasing the spread of contagious diseases: fresh air, water, drainage, sanitation, and light. The theory prepares nurse students for the actual practice by illustrating how patient outcomes could be improved through environmental modification.
The importance of theories in nursing education cannot be underestimated. Theories help nurse educators design course curriculums based on educational principles and research to enable students to acquire optimal patient care skills (Gaines, 2023). Similarly, learning and nursing theories can aid my teaching practices by enabling me to structure the content and learning activities in a way that maximizes learning outcomes. For instance, behaviorism illustrates how behavior could be reinforced in a teaching environment. Such environment could be classrooms, health education activities, and other educational programs.
References
Gaines, K. (2023). What are nursing theories? nurse.org. https://nurse.org/education/nursing-theories/
O’Connor, S., Kennedy, S., Wang, Y., Ali, A., Cooke, S., & Booth, R. G. (2022). Theories informing technology enhanced learning in nursing and midwifery education: a systematic review and typological classification. Nurse Education Today, 105518. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2022.105518
A Research Study Using an Educational Theory
Nurses and other healthcare providers should have extensive skills in patient care and influencing practice change. Learning theories guide educators in planning the curriculum and prepare nurses to use knowledge more effectively. Extensively, nursing literature has explored the application of educational theories in nursing education and its beneficial outcomes.
A study by Sleet and Dellinger (2020) evaluated the application of behavioral science theory in public health nursing. Sleet and Dellinger (2020) analyzed how behavioral science theory could be applied as a foundation for understanding patient behavior and influencing decision-making. It stresses that behavior is learned and can be modified in a process that engages patients. Sleet and Dellinger (2020) demonstrated how one behavioral science theory (stages of change) can be applied to prevent falls among older adults. Since behavior contributes to older adults’ premature morbidity and mortality, healthcare professionals can apply the theory to design and implement appropriate patient-centered interventions. A critical evaluation of the study shows that it uses the theory appropriately by demonstrating its central tenets, application in patient care, and expected outcomes. It also guides nurses and nurse educators on its utilization in patient care scenarios.
Healthcare professionals should understand a theory’s guiding principles, its application in clinical practice, and its relevance. Research contributes to understanding the theory in terms of how behavior change occurs in steps. According to Liu et al. (2018), behavior change starts with precontemplation before contemplation and preparation. It further advances to action, maintenance, and termination. Research helps to understand what occurs in each phase as far as behavior is concerned. For instance, there is no intention for behavior change in the precontemplation stage. However, this is different in the action stage, where individuals modify behavior accordingly to overcome their problems. Understanding each phase increases nurses’ clinical skills for behavior modeling in patient care and other situations.
References
Liu, K. T., Kueh, Y. C., Arifin, W. N., Kim, Y., & Kuan, G. (2018). Application of transtheoretical model on behavioral changes, and amount of physical activity among university’s students. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 2402. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02402
Sleet, D. A., & Dellinger, A. M. (2020). Using behavioral science theory to enhance public health nursing. Public Health Nursing (Boston, Mass.), 37(6), 895–899. https://doi.org/10.1111/phn.12795
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Each discussion board requires a minimum of 250 words with at least 1 peer reviewed source within the past 5 years.
Discussion 1: Select one learning theory and one nursing theory and explain how they can be applied in nursing education. How can the theories aid in your teaching practices, including clinical or patient-specific experiences?
Discussion 2: Search the literature and find an example of a research study that uses an educational theory in a nursing education study. Does the study appear to use the theory appropriately? How does the research contribute to understanding of the theory? Be sure to cite the article.
