A Comparison of Student-Centered versus Traditional Methods of Teaching Basic Nursing Skills in a Learning Laboratory

This study was conducted to compare the effectiveness of two instructional methodologies in teaching basic nursing skills in the learning laboratory. One methodology used an interactive, student-centered focus; the other used traditional lectures and demonstrations. A repeated measures, experimental design was employed, supplemented by qualitative and questionnaire data. Seventy sophomore and 50 junior baccalaureate nursing students enrolled in their fundamentals nursing courses were recruited for this study at a large midwestern university during a period of curriculum revision.The students ranged in age from 19 to 51 years, with a mean age of 23 years.Two methods covering the same content were compared for teaching basic nursing skills.There were no significant differences between the groups' pretest to posttest cognitive gains, although there were cognitive gains for both groups.The groups also were similar in their ability to demonstrate the basic skills correctly in the learning laboratory. However, results showed significant differences (p = 0.01) by group in student satisfaction, with the interactive, student-centered group more satisfied with their learning methodology than the traditional group.