Effectiveness of active learning methods in nursing ethics education: A quasi-experimental study

BackgroundIt is thought that increasing the effectiveness of ethics education provided in undergraduate nursing programs will increase students' decision-making skills.AimThe purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of ethics education in nursing provided with active learning methods and its effect on students' ethical decision-making levels.Research designThis study has a pre-test-post-test quasi-experimental design. It was conducted following the Transparent Reporting of Evaluations with Nonrandomized Designs (TREND) checklist. A structured educational program were used during the course.Participants and research contextThe sample of the study consists of 100 students taking the "Ethics in Nursing" course in the nursing department of a university located in the orth of Turkey.Ethical considerationAfter receiving the ethics committee approval (Date: 21.02.2024 Number: 22) the purpose, content, scope of the study were explained to students with confirmation that the research data would not be used to evaluate course success. Written permission was obtained utilising an informed consent form.FindingsAt the end of the course, it was determined that the students' Nursing Principled Thinking scores increased statistically significantly; Practical Consideration and Familiarty scores decreased significantly. Also it was determined that the general score and sub-dimension scores of Nursing Effectiveness of Ethics Education Scale were above the average.ConclusionIt can be said that ethics education given with active learning methods has a positive effect on the development of students' personal morality, ethical reasoning skills and ethical behavior. In addition, it was observed that at the end of the education, students used their moral thinking skills more when making decisions during ethical dilemmas and were more familiar with dilemmas.