The Effect of Cooperative Learning Based Simulation Practice on Sustainability in Care

Introduction: Human health should be considered together with the living and non-living environment in which it interacts in the ecosystem. Nurses, who are an individual interacting with their environment, a professional member of the nursing profession providing uninterrupted care to people, and a part of society, are in a very important position in terms of reshaping the interaction of people with environment. At the same time, the nursing ethics codes updated by ICN in 2021 reveal the responsibilities of nurses in the protection and development of global health as a necessity.

However, in order to be able to fulfill their roles and responsibilities, they must first be aware of the necessity of being sustainable in the interaction beings with their environment and understand the impact of their care practices on environmental sustainability. For this, they should be supported to gain cognitive and affective competence on issues such as holistic health understanding, sustainability, the relationship between sustainability and nursing care during nursing education.

Aim:The planned study aims to evaluate the effect of simulation practice based on cooperative learning on developing knowledge, skills and attitudes in nursing students about sustainability in nursing care.

Theoretical framework: In line with the purpose determined within the scope of the study, the simulation practice will be structured in line with the cooperative learning process. Cooperative learning, which is based on the Social Constructivism Theory, founded by John Dewey and Vygotsky, attaches importance to social and individual differences in learning and sees learning as a product of the social interaction process.

Method: The universe of the study, which was planned as a randomized controlled study in an experimental design, will consist of 212 nursing students studying at the 3rd grade level at Düzce University, Department of Nursing in the Fall Semester of the 2022-2023 Academic Year. The number of students to be included in the study sample was calculated as 64 students based on power analysis, and 70 students will form the study sample, taking into account the losses that may occur during the study. Simple random sampling method will be used to determine the students to be included in the study.

Data will be collected using the Descriptive Characteristics Form (10 questions such as age, gender), Nursing Sustainability Information Form (5 open-ended questions), the Debriefing Session Form (the form shaped by the PEARLS depriefing method will be used after simulation), the Sustainability Attitudes in Nursing Survey (SANS-2) (7-point Likert scale containing 9 items), and Ecocentric, Anthropocentric and Antipathic Attitude Toward Environment Scale (7-point Likert scale containing 26 items). The permission to use scales has been obtained from authors via e-mail.

The first measurement will be made in both the experimental and control groups using data collection forms (Descriptive Characteristics Form, Nursing Sustainability Information Form, Sustainability Attitudes in Nursing Survey (SANS-2) and Ecocentric, Anthropocentric and Antipathic Attitude Toward Environment Scale). Then, both groups will be informed in the same session with a 90-minute lecture on sustainability in nursing prepared in line with the NurSus Project resources (http://nursus.eu/home). After this stage, the experimental group students will experience 4-weeks cooperative learning process (will be used the Group Research Technique) that aims to analysis cases related to sustainability in nursing (cases were shaped in line with the resources in the NurSus Project). The control group will work individually on the subject and share their weekly individual study time with the researcher. After the case analysis process, simulation practice will be carried out in line with the a scenario with both groups. Simulation practice aims to develop the students' ability to transfer their sustainability knowledge and attitudes on nursing skills. And the second measurement will be carried out immediately after the simulation practice (Nursing Sustainability Information Form, Sustainability Attitudes in Nursing Survey (SANS-2), Ecocentric, Anthropocentric and Antipathic Attitude Toward Environment Scale and Debriefing Session Form).

In the analysis of the data, within and between group comparisons will be conducted. So, the effect of two different teaching methods (cooperative learning and traditional learning) on gaining nursing students sustainability knowledge, attitudes and skills will be compared.