Managing cultural diversity in the classroom

INTRODUCTION: This article focuses on the cultural issues challenging health professional academics in this era of transformation in South Africa. OBJECTIVES: The objective is to discuss various concepts of cultural diversity and the management thereof. METHODS: Review of literature on the management of cultural diversity. CCONCLUSION: The education and training programs for health professionals should lead to affirmation of cultural diversity and promote respect for the person while leading to tolerance of different views and ideas

Comparative analysis of recognition of prior learning vs traditional entrance to a nursing program

INTRODUCTION: Recognition of prior learning (RPL) is one of several methods to measure the equivalence of access entry criteria into an educational program for mature adults. This study presents the reader with the results of a comparative analysis of the performance of students who accessed a basic nursing program through the process of recognition of prior learning (RPL) and those students who accessed the same program through the traditional routes of entry. AIM: The overall aim was to establish a RPL program that could be implemented to allow students an alternative method of access to nursing programs. METHODS: Stuffelbeam's Product evaluation was used to guide this phase of the research project. Two groups of samples were drawn, one from students who accessed the nursing programme through RPL and the others through the traditional route in each of the three Nursing Education Institutions in Kwa-Zulu Natal. The mean scores of the two groups were compared for significant differences using the Mann-Whitney U test. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in the performances between groups of candidates. Once in the basic nursing programs, the RPL candidates performed as well as the other candidates. CONCLUSION: Mature adults who access educational programs via RPL are capable to perform at an equivalent level as those candidates who access educational programs via the traditional route

Development and testing of a model for implementation of recognition of prior learning.

Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2001.The Minister of Education's public statement In August 1999, that South African citizens should mobilize and build an education and training system for the 21'st century . among other things emphasized the application of procedures for recognition of prior learning as part of the restructuring process. On the other hand the resolution taken by the South African nursing Council at the beginning of 2000. that enrolled nurses should be upgraded through the process of recognition of prior learning further increased the urgency for nursing education institutions to develop and implement RPL policies In South Africa, Recognition of Prior learning (RPL)is seen as an appropriate approach to offer equity and redress of past imbalances in the education and training system. The purpose of the study was to develop and test an appropriate model that could be used for Recognition of Prior Learning for nurses. To test the model, it was implemented in a form of pilot projects by three institutions. It was important for the model development to identify and involve all the stakeholders of the nursing education system. An appropriate design for the study was a multiphase decision oriented evaluation research . Stuffelbeam's Context. Input, Process and Product evaluation model was used to guide the research process. The first phase was the development of the model which involved the Context evaluation. During the context evaluation phase, the Education Committee of the South African Nursing Council and the evaluative researcher developed the guidelines for the RPL process. These were refined by the stakeholders during the regional workshops. The results of this phase was the RPL guidelines. The second phase was the Input and the Process evaluations. Each institution had to make planning decisions for Implementation. The result was RPL policies for each institution Thereafter. the three institutions Implemented the RPL guidelines to specific target groups of nurses that were identified for the purpose of the pilot project. Data collection instruments varied according to the phase of the model development. Checklists were used to measure the extent to which each Institution had followed the RPL guidelines Dunng the Product (evaluation) phase. candidates' scores were compared with those of other candidates who accessed the specific programs through the traditional entry routes. According to the results all RPL candidates were successful In the programs they aimed at accessing DUring the testing phase after access, the RPL candidates compared favourably with other the other candidates who accessed the programs through traditional routes . The result indicate that the self- directed approach used during RPL helped the candidates in the actual programs. A process onented and competency- focused model was developed through an inclusive process. Nursing education Institutions and policy makers can use the model to structure and evaluate RPL implementation in nursing education institutions in South Africa

Student nurses’ experiences of the common teaching platform for undergraduate nursing in the Western Cape Province, South Africa

The higher education system in South Africa transformed over the last two decades in response to societal changes and the new democratic order since 1994. Nursing education programmes in South Africa’s higher education sector were also affected by these changes. Restructuring in nursing education led to the establishment of a novel undergraduate nursing programme delivery system in the Western Cape, known as a “common teaching platform” (CTP) for undergraduate nursing. The CTP necessitated collaboration between three higher education institutions in the region. This article reports the findings of a qualitative study conducted during 2010 to explore students’ experiences of the CTP. The findings could have significance for strategic decisions regarding the future of undergraduate nursing in the Western Cape. Focus group discussions were conducted with registered undergraduate student nurses (n=81) to explore their CTP experiences and to identify their views on the success of the collaboration. The results of the study revealed students’ positive and negative experiences of the CTP. Students’ negative experiences revolved around unmet expectations of the collaboration, such as increased resources and exposure to the partner institutions. There were different opinions as to whether the collaboration was successful. Recommendations include a review of the management and process of the collaboration between the three institutions; workshops for stakeholders to establish a common understanding of the purpose of the collaboration; and a review of the administrative systems of the universities to ensure access by partners and to improve student access to the resources of all three institutions.Department of HE and Training approved lis

Service learning: A creative means of teaching nursing

This article is informed by a retrospective study conducted by the first author, and a limited literature review on service-learning in South Africa. It attempts to give the reader a clearer understanding of service-learning by contextualizing service-learning within current debates about community engagement in higher education institutions in South Africa. A few dominant definitions of SL are described to espouse the underlying pedagogy of SL. Service –learning is then differentiated from other forms of clinical practice currently in use in nursing, based on the conceptual framework of Furco (1996). The latter discussion thus provides a backdrop for the brief description on how SL has been incorporated into the nursing curriculum at the University of the Western Cape (UWC). Lastly the challenges related to the implementation of SL are discussed

Student nurses' experiences of the common teaching platform for undergraduate nursing in the Western Cape Province, SA

The higher education system in South Africa transformed over the last two decades in response to societal changes and the new democratic order since 1994. Nursing education programmes in South Africa’s higher education sector were also affected by these changes. Restructuring in nursing education led to the establishment of a novel undergraduate nursing programme delivery system in the Western Cape, known as a “common teaching platform” (CTP) for undergraduate nursing. The CTP necessitated collaboration between three higher education institutions in the region. This article reports the findings of a qualitative study conducted during 2010 to explore students’ experiences of the CTP. The findings could have significance for strategic decisions regarding the future of undergraduate nursing in the Western Cape. Focus group discussions were conducted with registered undergraduate student nurses (n=81)to explore their CTP experiences and to identify their views on the success of the collaboration. The results of the study revealed students’ positive and negative experiences of the CTP. Students’ negative experiences revolved around unmet expectations of the collaboration, such as increased resources and exposure to the partner institutions. There were different opinions as to whether the collaboration was successful. Recommendations include a review of the management and process of the collaboration between the three institutions; workshops for stakeholders to establish a common understanding of the purpose of the collaboration; and a review of the administrative systems of the universities to ensure access by partners and to improve student access to the resources of all three institutions.Department of HE and Training approved lis

A framework for effective collaboration: a case study of collaboration in nursing education in the Western Cape, South Africa

A fundamental purpose of mergers between higher education institutions (HEIs) in 2002 was to enable sharing of scarce resources between more advanced universities and those historically disadvantaged by the apartheid system of the South African Government. A common teaching platform for undergraduate nursing education in the Western Cape was established in 2005, in line with the transformation of the higher education system, as a collaborative initiative between three universities.Department of HE and Training approved lis

The nature of the problems experienced by non-Zulu student nurses during their encounter with Zulu patients

South African nurses have accepted the challenge that was brought about by the Health Reform Policy of 1990 which opened health service centres to people of all racial and cultural groups. However, recent studies on multicultural nursing have revealed that problems have occurred when delivering care across cultural barriers. Most of these studies have approached these problems from the patients point of view, where issues of dehumanized care, labelling and discrimination have been reported. Therefore, this study was an attempt to look into these problems from the nurses point of view, by exploring the source of these problems, their effect on health care delivery and possible solutions. The researcher focussed on three critical issues, namely, lack of cultural knowledge, negative attitudes, as well as difficulty in communication. Through focus group interviews (FGI) and responses to given scenarios, student nurses who had experienced problems with culturally different patients were given a chance to reflect on their experiences, report on these experiences and recommend possible solutions to the experienced problems. The results revealed that: 1. The major source of the problems was lack of experience due to inadequate exposure to culturally diverse groups which in tum led to inappropriate decisions and actions at care delivery level. 2.Difficult perceptions and negative attitudes lead to the formation of stereotypes which block the delivery of culturally congruent care. 3 .Inability to communicate due to differences in spoken language lead to difficulty in building the trust relationship and hence inadequate care delivery.Health StudiesM.A. (Nursing Science

A cross-sectional survey to compare the competence of learners registered for the Baccalaureus Curationis programme using different learning approaches at the University of the Western Cape

The purpose of the study was to compare the extent to which the different teaching approaches applied in the Baccalaureus Curationis programme adequately prepare graduating learners for professional competence. The research methodology was a quantitative approach, based on descriptive research, with a clinical competence development model to guide the data collection procedure. The target population of the study included a sample of 250 learners in the four-year B.Cur programme, that extended from first-to-fourth-year. Stratified random sampling was applied to select the sample learners for this research and data were collected by means of a five-point Likert scale questionnaire. Data were organised and managed using the SAS statistical software package. Descriptive statistics were gathered with measures of central tendency and dispersion included, and their findings were illustrated on descriptive tables. A correlation technique was applied to determine the effects of the independent variable on the dependent variable. The results of the study indicated that progression in competence did not occur as learners progressed through higher levels of their training, except during the third-year of study. However, the study’s results confirmed the strengths of the Case-based clinical reasoning approach to teaching and learning. This approach is able to combine the strengths of the traditional methods, which dealt with large class sizes and that had a focus on learner centred learning, with a focus on clinical practice. This approach provides realistic opportunities for learners to experiment with solutions to dilemmas encountered in real life situations, from the protected and safe environment of the classroom. The first-year learners who were observed in this study, who although novices, were exposed to Case-based teaching approaches and showed more self-perceived competence than learners in later years. This occurred in spite of the limited exposure of the first-year learners to real life clinical situations. The outcome of this study recommends that more studies are conducted, in the School of Nursing at the University of the Western Cape (UWC), to explore teaching and learning approaches that fully maximise the clinical and theoretical competencies of the learners. The outcome further recommends that learner-centred teaching approaches, such as Case-based method, are applied to all year levels of study in the B.Cur programme, due to its proven value when it was applied to first-year learners. The Case-based clinical reasoning approach to learning, that has been implemented at the school, promotes competence and self confidence in learners and has enhanced their sense of responsibility to be actively involved in their own learning.Department of HE and Training approved lis