Self-directed learning in nursing education-What do the students do to learn nursing? Student perspective

This article reports on a Danish research project investigating nursing students’ initiatives to learn nursing. There is an international focus on nursing students’ competencies to learn Self-Directed so that they can continue to develop their nursing competencies to provide patient-centered care and meet the demands of the ever-developing healthcare system. The aim was to investigate nursing students’ learning initiatives to learn nursing and to realize learning areas in which further support is required to develop students’ Self-Directed Learning ability. A phenomenological-hermeneutic approach was taken. The participants comprised a class of nursing students, who we followed throughout their 3.5-year Bachelor’s Degree Programme in Nursing. The data were generated by narrative interviews and a survey about students' learning initiatives. Three themes emerged: learning by preparing, learning by writing, and learning in interaction. Most students initiated learning activities based on their learning abilities, their life circumstances, and the learning resources available. The Self-Directed Learning ability varied among students, and a few needed external motivations and more supervision than they got to achieve competencies to learn self-directed. This study provides knowledge about nursing students’ self-directed learning initiatives and uncovers some areas to consider when planning to facilitate the development of Self-Directed Learning among nursing students. Faculty may consider how to allow more time for supervision and how to encourage nursing students’ motivation to develop Self-Directed Learning ability, so Self-Directed Learning ability can increase among all nursing students.