Learning Theories:
Guiding Preceptorship to ensure Readiness to Practice
Learning theories provide educators with frameworks that can help to facilitate student learning. Constructivism and transformational learning are two theories that involve students in the learning process. Student involvement encourages students to take ownership of their learning experience and enables them to learn to their fullest potential.
Below is a description of each theory and how educators can use these theories to ensure a student’s readiness to practice.
Below is a description of each theory and how educators can use these theories to ensure a student’s readiness to practice.
Constructivism Theory
(Dewey, Lewin, Vygotsky, Piaget etc.) Brandon & All, (2010) explain that constructivism theory has built its foundation on observation and scientific study about how people learn. The crux of this theory is that learning is encouraged to be an active process in which learners construct new ideas or concepts, based upon their current or past knowledge (Brandon & All, 2010). The constructivist educational philosophy is based on four major assumptions (Brandon & All, 2010; Muirhead, 2006):
When constructivism is applied to the clinical setting, the goal is that nursing students are taught concepts and not large amounts of content-laden material as in traditional teaching methods (Brandon & All, 2010). A core element in this theory is that the curriculum should be student-centered, interactive and innovative (Brandon & All, 2010). The authors purport that nurse educators will be the primary coaches and facilitators, being responsible to develop innovative teaching methods and producing stronger nurses (Brandon & All, 2010). |
Transformational Learning Theory
(Mezirow, as well as Dirkx, Myers & Boyd) Transformative learning is defined as “the process by which we transform problematic frames of reference-sets of assumption and expectation-to make them more inclusive, discriminating, open, reflective and emotionally able to change”(Mezirow, 2009, p.92). Transformative learning can occur in instrumental learning, which involves task-oriented learning and in communicative learning, which encompasses critical self-reflection (Mezirow, 2009). Mezirow’s (2009) process of transformative learning involves:
Mezirow (2009) emphasizes that the two major elements of transformative learning are critical reflection or critical self-reflection on assumptions and participating fully and freely in “dialectical discourse to validate a best reflective judgment”. Mezirow (2009) found, in a study of women returning to college, that transformations can occur when building competence and self-confidence in new roles and relationships, with the transformation becoming clarified. This is likened to a nurse being introduced to his/her clinical role, and transforming as competence and self-confidence increases, with each patient interaction. This can also, inherently, influence a nurse’s readiness to practice. Clinical preceptors and nurse educators are responsible for observing this transformation, ensuring the nurse is displaying these characteristics, ultimately determining the nurse’s readiness to practice. |