Abstract
Aesthetic approaches to reflective practice are not well understood nor widely used in nursing education. This descriptive, qualitative, multiple-case study investigated three baccalaureate nursing students' experience reflecting on practice through story, artistic expression, and sharing and how such reflection influenced their perception of caring. Data, collected and transcribed over 14 weeks, included interviews with each participant, the participants' written stories, poetry, art, and journals, as well as the researcher's participant observation of each class. In each case, thematic patterns around process, product, and meaning emerged and appropriate exemplars were identified. Data synthesis further led to a multi-case understanding of process, levels of reflection, levels of storytelling, and discovery about caring.
Despite initial hesitancy about creating and sharing their "art," the students gained confidence and enjoyment in the process over time. Data analysis revealed that artistic expression of story and sharing pushed the students to different levels of reflection, which resulted in a changed perceived nurse-patient relationship and sense of caring. Storywriting about a caring moment with a patient served as a cognitive-level exercise that prompted a recall of factual detail. Through the creative process of translating their written stories into poetry and art, students experienced a deeper affective level of reflection that resulted in increased awareness of self, suppressed feelings, and relationships. Class sharing of artwork and evolving stories promoted a level of collective reflection through dialogue, support, and affirmation that further enlarged the students' perspective of self and nursing practice. Through deeper reflection, students "reauthored" their initial descriptive stories and redefined their perception of caring toward a more transpersonal "being with" and "doing for" their patients, which gave new meaning to their day-to-day caring.
The study's findings that student nurses can use poetry and art-making to enrich their reflection on self and caring practice and that sharing with colleagues adds new dimensions to personal reflections support existing research, contribute to Watson's Transpersonal Theory of Human Caring and models of reflective practice, and generate new questions for inquiry. Understanding the reflective power of artistic expression and group sharing has important implications for nursing education and practice.
Sigma Membership
Eta Omega
Type
Dissertation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Descriptive/Correlational
Research Approach
Qualitative Research
Keywords:
Artistic Expression, Nursing Students, Caring Practice
Advisors
Ackerman, Richard||Meyer, Dorothy||Bensen, Norman
Degree
Doctoral-Other
Degree Grantor
University of Massachusetts Lowell
Degree Year
1997
Recommended Citation
Wagner, A. Lynne, "A study of baccalaureate nursing students' reflection on their caring practice through creating and sharing story, poetry, and art" (2024). Dissertations. 818.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/dissertations/818
Rights Holder
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Review Type
None: Degree-based Submission
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2024-03-01
Full Text of Presentation
wf_yes
Description
This dissertation has also been disseminated through the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. Dissertation/thesis number: 9905334; ProQuest document ID: 304417728. The author still retains copyright.