Abstract
M.Cur. (Nursing Education)
Nursing students are expected to be effective self-directed learners beyond graduation. However, traditional assessment methods are teacher-centred, giving the teacher control over every aspect and rendering the students passive recipients during the process. Conversely, sustainable assessment methods have long-term benefits to learning that go beyond graduation as it is centered on meeting current learning needs while cultivating students’ ability to meet their own future needs. The role of assessment practices in promoting nursing students’ self-directed learning (SDL) has not been investigated. The purpose of this study was to investigate and understand how sustainable assessment methods influence nursing students’ SDL abilities in order to formulate recommendations for assessment methods that enhance nursing students’ SDL abilities. A mixed-methods design, using a sequential explanatory strategy was used. A quantitative quasi-experimental design was the core method, followed by a supplementary exploratory, descriptive and contextual qualitative method. A convinience sample of 181 first-year nursing students was used in the quantitative phase of the study. The Self-Directed Learning Instrument (SDLI) for nursing students was used to measure nursing students’ SDL abilities, before and after the introduction of sustainable assessment intervention. The quantitative one-group pretest-posttest quasi-experimental method showed that first-year nursing students’ baseline SDL abilities were at a moderate level, and there was an improvement in the learners’ selfreported SDL abilities after they participated in sustainable assessment methods. For the second phase of the study a multi variance sample of 4 first-year nursing students participated in a focus group interview. The focus group interview was conducted to explore and describe nursing students’ experiences and perception of how sustainable assessment methods influenced their SDL in the qualitative follow-up phase. This revealed that the participants recognized the value of peer and self-assessment in helping them take individual responsibility for their learning and collaborative learning, although they experienced certain barriers during the process...