EXPLORING LEARNING EXPERIENCES AND TEACHING THEORIES IN NURSING HIGHER EDUCATION IN HONG KONG

Tokeung, Chan (2023) EXPLORING LEARNING EXPERIENCES AND TEACHING THEORIES IN NURSING HIGHER EDUCATION IN HONG KONG. Doctor of Education thesis, University of Liverpool.

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Abstract

The quality of learning outcomes is positively related to the teaching and learning approaches implemented. However, Hong Kong nursing teachers seldom evaluate their teaching approaches. Through appropriate and well-adjusted teaching and learning strategies, the learning experiences of nursing students can be improved, which will eventually enhance critical thinking abilities in students and safeguard patient safety. This study explores the learning experiences of nursing graduates of a self-financed Higher Education institution (HEI) and the teaching theories and practices of nursing teachers working in self-financed HEIs in Hong Kong. The results serve as a knowledge base of reflections on better implementing a student-centred learning (SCL) approach in nursing education. This thesis is a qualitative study following a hermeneutic phenomenological approach. Participants were invited through a snowballing strategy. Two focus groups were employed to explore nursing graduate learning experiences. Moreover, their narratives were used to formulate interview questions to reveal the teaching theories and practices of nursing teachers. Twelve Chinese nursing teachers were invited to participate in individual in-depth interviews. The narratives were collected, coded, and categorised through thematic analysis. Teaching theories and learning issues were classified into different themes, followed by critical analysis. In this study, nursing graduates expressed dissatisfaction with their learning experiences, such as receiving insufficient feedback, experiencing fear of losing "face", high study loads, and communication problems with their teachers. The results indicated that nursing teachers were employing hybrid teaching theories that were fundamentally teacher-centred learning (TCL) approach. Most teachers espoused SCL but still used a TCL approach through traditional classroom teaching. However, these hybrid teaching theories cannot fully explain the phenomenon from the perspectives of SCL and TCL frameworks. The hybrid teaching theories can be understood appropriately with a Profession-Centred Learning (PCL) approach in which there are three core dimensions: Profession sharing, legal obligation, and transitional learning. Their teaching theories and practices were driven by six contributing factors - impacts of a large class, time pressure of teachers, following ingrained teaching approaches, pedagogic dilemmas, teaching and learning cultures, and learning under consumerism. These explorations indicate that any educational reform must consider many different but interrelated factors.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctor of Education)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Student-centred learning approach; Teacher-centred learning approach; Teaching theories; Learning experiences; Teaching and learning strategies; Educational reforms
Divisions:	Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences > School of Histories, Languages and Cultures
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	25 Aug 2023 12:58
Last Modified:	25 Aug 2023 12:58
DOI:	10.17638/03168086
Supervisors:	Huet, Isabel Gough, Martin
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3168086