title: Combining qualitative and quantitative methods in assessing hospital learning environments.
abstract: Clinical education is a vital component in the curricula of pre-registration nursing courses and provides student nurses with the opportunity to combine cognitive, psychomotor, and affective skills. Clinical practice enables the student to develop competencies in the application of knowledge, skills, and attitudes to clinical field situations. It is, therefore, vital that the valuable clinical time be utilised effectively and productively. Nursing students' perception of the hospital learning environment were assessed by combining quantitative and qualitative approaches. The Clinical Learning Environment Inventory, based on the theoretical framework of learning environment studies, was developed and validated. The quantitative and qualitative findings reinforced each other. It was found that there were significant differences in students' perceptions of the actual clinical learning environment and their preferred learning environment. Generally, students preferred a more positive and favourable clinical environment than they perceived as being actually present.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong. dskchan@cuhk.edu.hk
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Chan
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002983:Clinical Competence; D004508:Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate / Q000592:standards*; D006272:Health Facility Environment / Q000592:standards*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D007858:Learning; D015402:Nursing Education Research / Q000379:methods*; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000523:psychology; D015279:Organizational Culture; D012107:Research Design / Q000592:standards*; D013021:South Australia; D013338:Students, Nursing / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*