Building life-long learning capacity in undergraduate nursing freshmen within an integrative and small group learning context

Background: Life-long learning involves the development of skills in critical thinking (CT), effective group process (GP), and self-directedness (SDL). Recent studies have shown that small group learning with active interactions is effective in enabling students to develop themselves as independent learners beyond graduation. With a view to integrative learning, the purpose of this study was to evaluate life-long learning outcomes through the work of small group teaching and learning for a class of undergraduate nursing freshmen during one academic year. Methods: A mixed-methods approach was used to evaluate the CT, GP and SDL of 99 freshmen with a self-assessment questionnaire before and after their learning activities in three nursing courses, and to identify themes from a total of six focus group interviews with the students and teachers. Results: The CT, GP and SDL results obtained from self-assessment did not indicate significant differences. Four themes emerged from the qualitative analysis. Discussion: Many factors contributed to the results on life-long learning skill development of students in this study. The qualitative analysis provided good insights for future teaching and learning development. Conclusions: With a developmental perspective, life-long learning may be better developed and evaluated over a longer period of time in the nursing program.