Suchergebnisse

This case study describes an educational research project involving 22 nursing students as participants. The focus of the research was to explore students' perceptions and experiences of undertaking an objective structured clinical examination during semester 1 (Year 1) of their undergraduate BSc (Hons) Nursing program. The research team will provide focus on research design, the sampling process, and conducting focus group discussions using personal reflections having completed the project. The case study will also highlight feasibility issues of engaging students in academic research. We conclude the case study with a list of lessons or factors that one ought to be mindful of when designing, recruiting, and engaging student participants in a qualitative research study within an academic setting.

Purpose. To assess the relationship among objectively measured urban form variables, age, and walking in youth. Design. Cross-sectional analyses of travel diary data mapped against urban form characteristics within a 1-km buffer of participant's place of residence. Setting. Youth in the Atlanta, Georgia region with selection stratified by income, household size, and residential density. Subjects. A total of 3161 5- to 20-year-olds who completed 2-day travel diaries. Diaries of those under 15 years were completed by a parent or legal guardian. Measures. Walking distances were calculated from a 2-day travel diary. Residential density, intersection density, land use mix, and commercial and recreation space were assessed within a 1-km network distance around residences. Analysis. Logistic regression analyses were performed for each urban form variable by age groups controlling for the demographic variables. All variables were then entered simultaneously into an analysis of the whole sample. Results. All five urban form variables tested were related to walking. Recreation space was the only variables associated with walking across the four different age groups. All the urban form variables were related to walking in the 12 to 15 years age cohort. For this group, the odds of walking were 3.7 times greater for those in highest- versus lowest-density tertile and 2.6 times greater for those with at least one commercial and 2.5 times greater for those with at least one recreational destination within 1 km from home. In the analysis of the full sample, number of cars, recreation space, and residential density were most strongly related to walking. Conclusions. Access to recreation or open space was the most important urban form variable related to walking for all age groups. Children aged 12 to 15 years old may be particularly influenced by urban form.

This essay presents a case study outlining how an academic team engaged undergraduate Nursing students as co-researchers in an education research project. The student co-researchers were tasked by the team to lead on the second phase of the research project that looked to capture the learning experience of first-year BSc (Hons) Nursing degree students (N=437) who had recently taken an Objective Structured Clinical Examination as an assessment. This case study primarily focuses on the recruitment process of students as appropriate co-researchers and how these were subsequently "up-skilled" to lead and undertake the second phase of the research. Hence, no emphasis is placed on the methodological detail of the broader research project. A key facet of the research project was to further develop a range of academic and research skills of the student co-researchers. Encouraging the student co-researchers to write a reflective diary allowed them to consider the impact of the experience on their personal and professional development, skills acquisition, and employability. The benefits and drawbacks of involving students as co-researchers will also be discussed, along with implications for future research practice.