| The purpose of this research was to discover and understand an untapped aspect of previous research in clinical nursing education that addressed the positive experiences of students in clinical nursing education, essentially what "gives life" to their experiences and fosters student learning. The overall intent was to move the study of nursing education away from problem solving rhetoric and towards a more positive and affirming celebration of action. The impetus to use an Appreciative Inquiry (AI) into students lived experiences in nursing clinical education arose from the plethora of deficit-based research in nursing education, specifically that of incivility in nursing and nursing education. The overarching research question that guided this study was, how do nursing students describe, "What gives life" to their experience in clinical nursing education environments? A qualitative transcendental phenomenological research design was utilized for this study. This approach utilized AI, an action research methodology, to uncover what "gives life" to student's clinical experience. Seven recent graduates from an associate degree nursing program participated in the study and through their stories, provocative propositions were crafted to provide faculty, program directors, and higher education administrator's evidence upon which to develop effective teaching-learning environments that foster student success. |
