PROJECT-BASED LEARNING IN COMMUNITY HEALTH NURSING PRACTICUM I COURSE FOR THE FOURTH-YEAR POLICE NURSING STUDENTS, POLICE NURSING COLLEGE

Abstract

      The purposes of this quasi-experimental research were 1) to study the instruction in the Community Health Nursing Practicum 1 course academic year 2016, 2) to develop the project-based learning instruction model in the Community Health Nursing Practicum 1 course, and 3) to assess the effect of application of the project-based learning instructional model in the Community Health Nursing Practicum 1 course. The populations were 64 fourth-year police nursing students, academic year 2017.  The samples were 30 clients and the key informants were 2 mentor teachers. The research instruments consisted of 1) the project-based learning instructional model for Community Health Nursing Practicum 1 course, 2) the achievement scores in the Community Health Nursing Practicum 1 course, 3) the satisfaction questionnaire toward the curriculum of Bachelor of Nursing, in the Community Health Nursing Practicum 1 course, 4) the semi-structured questionnaire for interviewing the residents’ opinions toward the students’ project, and 5) the semi-structured questionnaire for interviewing the mentor teachers’ opinions toward the project-based learning instructional model and its benefits to health care sector. The quantitative data were analyzed using the descriptive statistics: frequency, percentage, average and standard deviation and the qualitative data were analyzed why content analysis.

      This research results were as follows:

1. The learning instructional model used in the Community Health Nursing Practicum 1 course academic year 2016, found that the instruction had no integration in the unit of analysis of the community and the individual’s problems. The project was used for only the community problem. It was separated from the individual care service.
2. The project-based learning instructional model in the Community Health Nursing Practicum 1, course for the fourth-year police nursing students consisted of 1) community assessment, 2) community diagnosis, 3) community planning 4) community implement: the search for ideas for project assessment, project planning, project implementation, and project evaluation), 5) community evaluation, and 6) promoting or publicizing of the project.
3. The effects of the application of the project-based learning instruction model in the Community Health Nursing Practicum 1 course were as follows: 1) the effects on students’ achievement: 24 students (37.50%) were classified as excellent level; 33 students (51.56%) were classified as very good level; and 7 students (10.94%) were classified as good level. The students’ opinions toward the project-based learning instruction approach in the Community Health Nursing Practicum 1 course were at a high level (M = 4.10 SD = .83); 2) the effects on the clients: they had knowledge, positive attitudes and health care practice guidelines; and 3) the effects on the health care sector: the project was good and there was innovation for health care.