Exploring nursing educators’ perceptions about the use of technology in teaching

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2019.ENGLISH SUMMARY : In everyday life and especially in the healthcare system today, technology has increasingly become an essential part of daily functioning (Bastable et al., 2019; Bonnel et al., 2018; Oermann et al., 2017). As a result, the use of technology has become a key feature in the training of healthcare professionals, including nurses. Academic staff are constantly challenged to adapt their own practices to incorporate technology in their teaching and adequately prepare their students to use technology once they enter the healthcare system (Risling, 2017; Bonnel, et al., 2018; Roney et al., 2017). Numerous studies have shown that nursing educators still often see technology as the last resort for teaching students (Ferszt et al., 2017; Risling, 2017; Früst, 2011; Roney et al., 2017) and that there is an overall ambivalence from them when it comes to technology. This study set out to understand and explore the nurse educators’ perspectives regarding technology for teaching purposes at a Western Cape government nursing education institution in South Africa. It was envisaged that the results of this study would assist in offering recommendations that may then assist in mediating or addressing any possible constraints that it identified. The intention was ultimately to develop a set of principles to support the integration of technology in teaching across all nursing education-training sectors. In this qualitative research study, which adopted a phenomenological approach, semi-structured in-depth interviews were used to collect the data and thereafter the data was analysed using a thematic analysis process adapted from the work of Braun and Clarke (2012). Three final key themes were identified during the analysis process and each theme had subthemes that described similar concepts of the data. The first theme refers to the teaching context, the second theme refers to the teaching experience, and the third theme refers to the educators’ aspirations. From the findings, three dimensions were identified that appeared to be present across the findings. The first dimension was a personal dimension focusing on the nursing educators as individuals with their own individualised perceptions. Secondly, the structural space dimension focuses on the environmental aspects the nurse educators needed in order to function optimally in their work environment. The third dimension refers to the social aspects and entails those with whom the nurse educators engage in the work environment. As educators, we make choices every day about what we are going to teach and how we are going to teach. These decisions are influenced by who we are (the personal dimension), the environment within which we work (the structural dimension), and by those with whom we interact (the social dimension). The findings of this study suggest that educators need structures like professional development plans as well as faculty development programmes to be in place. These structures will supply the support and motivation needed for educators to embrace the use of technology as well as improve their understanding of it for teaching and learning purposes. However, it is important that technology resources should be firstly available and secondly kept up to date to enable educators to embrace it fully. A set of guiding principles were conceptualised as a guide for institutions to help or motivate the use of technology in teaching amongst educators to its optimal level. The vision for implementation of these principles is that this may lead to educators understanding and embracing the use of technology for teaching purposes more willingly.AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING : In die alledaagse lewe en veral tans in die gesondheidsorgstelsel, het tegnologie toenemend 'n wesenlike deel van die daaglikse funksionering geword (Bastable et al., 2019; Bonnel et al., 2018; Oermann et al., 2017). As gevolg hiervan het die gebruik van tegnologie 'n sleutelfunksie geword in die opleiding van gesondheidsorgpersoneel, insluitend verpleegkundiges. Akademiese personeel word voortdurend uitgedaag om hul eie praktyke aan te pas om tegnologie in hul onderrig te inkorporeer en om hul studente voldoende voor te berei om tegnologie te gebruik sodra hulle die gesondheidsorgstelsel betree (Risling, 2017; Bonnel, et al., 2018; Roney et al., 2017). Talle studies het getoon dat verpleegopvoeders tegnologie steeds gereeld beskou as die laaste uitweg vir die onderrig van studente (Ferszt et al., 2017; Risling, 2017; Früst, 2011; Roney et al., 2017) en dat daar 'n algehele ambivalensie van hulle is as dit kom by tegnologie. Hierdie studie het gemik om die perspektiewe van verpleegkunde-dosente te ondersoek rakende tegnologie vir onderrigdoeleindes by 'n Wes-Kaapse regeringsinstituut vir verpleegkundiges in Suid-Afrika. Daar word voorsien dat die resultate van hierdie studie sou help om aanbevelings aan te bied, wat dan kan help met bemiddeling of die aanspreek van moontlike beperkings wat geïdentifiseer is. Die bedoeling was dat dit die ontwikkeling van 'n professionele ontwikkelingsprogram vir tegnologie-integrasie vir verpleeg dosente sou bewerkstellig en 'n stel beginsels is ontwikkel om die integrasie van tegnologie in verpleegonderrig in alle sektore vir verpleegonderwys te ondersteun. In hierdie kwalitatiewe navorsingstudie, wat 'n fenomenologiese benadering gebruik het, is daar gebruik gemaak van semi-gestruktureerde, diepgaande onderhoude om die data te versamel en daarna is die data geanaliseer met behulp van 'n tematiese ontledingsproses wat aangepas is uit die werk van Braun en Clarke (2012). Drie finale sleuteltemas is tydens die ontledingsproses geïdentifiseer en elke tema het subtemas bevat wat soortgelyke konsepte van die data beskryf. Die eerste tema het verwys na die onderrigkonteks, die tweede tema na die onderrigervaring en die derde tema na die aspirasies van verpleegkunde-dosente. Uit die bevindings is daar drie dimensies geïdentifiseer wat. Die eerste dimensie is 'n persoonlike dimensie wat fokus op die verpleegkunde-dosente as individue met hul eie geïndividualiseerde persepsies. Tweedens, die strukturele ruimtedimensie fokus op die omgewingsaspekte wat die verpleegkunde-dosente nodig het om optimaal in hul werkomgewing te funksioneer. Die derde dimensie verwys na die sosiale aspekte en behels diegene by wie die verpleegkunde-dosente betrokke is in die werksomgewing. As dosente neem ons elke dag besluite rondom wat ons gaan onderrig en hoe ons gaan onderrig. Hierdie besluite word beïnvloed deur wie ons is (die persoonlike dimensie), die omgewing waarin ons werk (die strukturele dimensie) en deur diegene met wie ons omgaan (die sosiale dimensie). Die bevindinge van hierdie studie dui daarop dat dosente behoeftes het aan ’n professionele ontwikkelingsplan sowel as fakulteitsontwikkelingsprogramme. Hierdie strukture sal die ondersteuning en motivering bied wat dosente benodig om die gebruik van tegnologie te bevorder, asook om hul begrip daarvan vir onderrig- en leerdoeleindes te verbeter. Dit is egter belangrik dat tegnologiese hulpbronne eerstens beskikbaar moet wees en tweedens op datum moet bly om dosente in staat te stel om dit ten volle te benut. 'n Stel leidende beginsels is gekonseptualiseer as 'n riglyn vir die gebruik van tegnologie in onderrig om sodoende dosente tot die optimale vlak te help of te motiveer. Die visie vir die implementering van hierdie beginsels is dat dit daartoe kan lei dat dosente die gebruik van tegnologie vir onderrigdoeleindes meer begryp en omhels.Master