Undergraduate experience of selection group interviews: a qualitative research study subjected to pedagogical reflection.

This study explores stage 1 nursing students’ experiences of group interviews as part of the selection process to inform the future of midwifery selection practice. Using hermeneutic phenomenology to interview students is valid as a tool of reflection but not transferable, due to sample size. Two major themes identified from the data – truth and justice – were subsequently subjected to ‘pedagogical reflection’ (Durkheim 1956). Considering constructivist pedagogies, three main issues identified were: The information given to candidates prior to the interview; the use of photographs in a values-based approach to selection; and interview environment. For midwifery practice, we could consider alternatives to photographs and ways to enhance the interview environment