Student Nurses’ Perceptions of the Concept of Blended Education During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Metaphor Analysis Study

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to determine the perceptions of nursing students regarding the concept of “Blended Education”, which was implemented for the first time due to the Covid-19 pandemic, through metaphors. Methods: The study, nursing students who received undergraduate nursing theoretical education online and clinical practices face-to-face during the pandemic were determined as the criterion. The study was conducted in the phenomenology approach pattern, which forms the basis of qualitative research. The universe and sample of the study consisted of 2nd, 3rd and 4th year nursing students (N=593, n=331) studying at the Faculty of Nursing in the 2021-2022 academic year. The research data were collected using the “Metaphorical Perceptions Data Collection” tool. Results: Data analysis was carried out in five stages. Student nurses created 160 metaphors for the concept of blended education. The obtained metaphors were examined in terms of similarities and combined under two categories as “Academic dimension” and “Psychosocial dimension”. Conclusions: In line with this result, it is of great importance to integrate empowering education contents into the curriculum to eliminate students’ academic and psychosocial concerns. In addition, it is recommended that various courses be organized and universities’ technical infrastructures be strengthened in order to increase the competencies of academics.