AACN Transform Poster Showcase
Topic: Academic Nursing: Excellence & Innovation
Background/Introduction: This study addresses the gap in nursing education regarding the impact of research-based writing interventions on students’ scholarly writing capacity.
Purpose: The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to determine how a 14-week online writing intervention affected students’ self-efficacy, task value, and writing performance. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory was used to explore sociocultural influences on students’ writing development and perceptions of the intervention.
Methods or Processes/Procedures: Participants were master’s nursing students enrolled in an existing one-semester writing course for health professionals. A quasi-experimental mixed methods design was used to measure the difference between students’ pre- and post-intervention scores on a writing assessment and self-efficacy survey. Qualitative data were gathered from nine semi-structured interviews, then coded for thematic analysis.
Results: The quantitative results showed statistically significant gains in self-efficacy and writing performance with large effect sizes. In the qualitative interviews, students explained the perceived benefits they received from the scaffolded instructional design of the course, formative feedback from faculty, and specific writing strategies. The interviewed students discussed transformations in their scholarly writing, critical thinking, professional communication skills, and confidence after participating in the course.
Limitations: First, a control group was not used. Second, the study took place in the midst of a global pandemic and nursing shortage that impacted the attrition rate of students enrolled in the course. Third, the student sample was less racially diverse than usual, which may affect the generalizability of the study to other populations. Fourth, the study was limited to one semester. Ideally, graduate students’ writing development would be studied over the course of the program.
Conclusions/Implications for Practice: Recommendations include implementing a required scholarly writing course in all graduate-level nursing programs, promoting metacognition with e-portfolio assessment, using a sociocultural approach to instruction, providing formative feedback in a supportive environment, and differentiating instruction with a flexible scale of help to scaffold students’ development.
Video Script
Rebecca Red Wolf
Ed.D.
Biography
Dr. Rebecca Red Wolf is the Writing Center Coordinator for the University of Rochester School of Nursing (URSON). Rebecca completed her Ed.D. at the University of Southern California's Organizational Change and Leadership program in May 2022. Her dissertation research focused on the scholarly writing development of master’s nursing students. She is currently designing MOOCs, writing courses, and a Comprehensive Learner Record for the URSON. Dr. Red Wolf is an assistant professor, reading specialist, instructional designer, and seasoned educator of 30+ years. She is an enrolled member of the Tyendinaga Mohawk First Nation Reserve.