| It is widely recognized that there is a severe shortage of qualified health-care workers in the United States (Kinard, 2004). In the nursing profession specifically, registered nurses are in high demand but short supply. As a result, collegiate programs have found themselves recruiting new students from a much broader base population than before (Campbell & Davis, 1990). Nursing programs therefore risk accepting individuals who may have difficulty meeting the academic demands of required courses in the nursing major.; Although addressing students' academic weaknesses is a challenge, it is important for nurse educators to find strategies that will enable students to be successful and to remain in their nursing programs (Beckes, 1980; Group, 1984; Hodges, 1988; Reed & Hudepohl 1983). In this study the researcher argues that a major factor to be considered in achieving this goal is the use by nurse education faculty of interactive instructional strategies. These strategies may be defined as those in which the instructor engages in dialogue with students or students themselves interact with each other.; This study was designed to answer the following research questions: (1) Do nurse educators in high, medium and low NCLEX (National Council Licensure Examination) performing schools report differences in the interaction they promote in their use of four instructional strategies? (2) Are there differences in the incidence of use of each of the four instructional strategies employed by nurse educators in high, medium and low NCLEX performing schools? (3) What do nurse educators report to be their purpose for using each of the four instructional strategies?; Piaget (1950) and Vygotsky (1978) have provided contemporary educators with a theoretical foundation for the development of teaching methodologies that foster active learning and the meaningful construction of concepts. Vygotsky's work, in particular, has indicated the importance of student to teacher and student to student interaction as new concepts are learned. Consequently methodologies that focus on interaction are an important part of a teacher's repertoire.; Interactive instructional strategies in college math, engineering and psychology have been positively correlated with academic achievement (Duncan& Dick, 2000; Ventimiglia, 1994; Woods, 1996). However, there is little research into the use of interactive instructional strategies in nursing education.; This research study used an ex post facto design. A researcher-designed survey was sent to a sample of nurse educators from purposefully selected state universities and colleges throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States with baccalaureate nursing programs. These institutions were grouped by the researcher into high (89-97 percent), medium (81-88 percent) and low (70-80 percent) NCLEX scoring schools. The survey collected responses that most closely reflect the participants' agreement or disagreement with statements regarding the use of four instructional strategies: lecture, case study, concept mapping and instructional games.; Nurse faculty in high, medium and low NCLEX performing schools did not report differences in the interaction they promote in their teaching. Low NCLEX performing schools did show a statistically significant higher mean in interactivity with regards to concept mapping than high NCLEX performing schools. There were no significant differences in the incidence of use of each interactive methodology employed by nurse educators in high, medium and low NCLEX performing schools. There were also no differences in reported purposes for using different interactive methodologies. |
