Knowledge of Content for Clinical Nursing Educators: An Ethnographic Investigation of Clinical Experts Who Transition to the Role of Novice Clinical Nursing Educator/ Stacy Wheat Huber

Abstract

The purpose of this research study was to identify and describe the teaching practices and the grounding experiences of the teaching practices novice educators use when teaching undergraduate students in the clinical patient care area. The following research questions guided this investigation: What teaching practices and teacher knowledge do novice clinical nursing educators demonstrate or draw from when teaching undergraduate nursing students in the clinical patient-care area? In what ways do novice clinical nursing educators change or adapt their teaching behaviors as a response to the context of the teaching/learning environment? What grounding educational or professional experiences do novice clinical nursing educators refer to or draw upon when working in the role of the clinical nursing educator? What are areas of teacher knowledge and/or teaching practices, utilized by novice clinical nursing educators, which preclude the facilitation of student learning and/or critical thinking? A focused ethnographic research methodology was used for this investigation. Data included approximately 70 hours of observation of the clinical teaching practices of four novice clinical nursing educators, as well as semi-structured interviews, and document collection. All data sources were analyzed though a theoretical thematic process that drew upon the Pedagogical and Subject Matter Knowledge for Clinical Nursing Educators framework, adapted from the Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching model. The analysis and interpretation of the data revealed that novice clinical nursing educators more often draw upon their subject matter knowledge rather than utilize their pedagogical knowledge when teaching in the clinical patient area. Findings also revealed that when teaching in the clinical patient care setting, novice clinical nursing educators may under-utilize teaching methods, such as questioning and reflection, to facilitate critical thinking.