Date
1-2020
Department
School of Education
Degree
Doctor of Education in Curriculum & Instruction (EdD)
Chair
Carolyn McCreight
Keywords
Clinical Learning, Learning Disability, Nursing Education, Nursing Students
Disciplines
Education | Medicine and Health Sciences | Nursing
Recommended Citation
Woodhall, Lorna Jean, "A Transcendental Phenomenological Study of Student Nurses With Learning Disabilities in the Clinical Learning Environment" (2020). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 2316.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/2316
Abstract
The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to record the lived experiences of nursing students with learning disabilities while in the clinical learning environment. Dewey’s theory of education and Knowles’ theory of adult learning were used to ground this study. Their theories provided a foundation to understand how the learning process is affected in nursing students with learning disabilities in the clinical learning environment. The study answered the following research questions: (a) What are the lived experiences of student nurses with learning disabilities in the clinical learning setting? (b) How are nursing students impacted by their learning disability during clinical learning experiences? (c) What are perceived obstacles that hinder nursing students with learning disabilities during clinical learning experiences? and (d) What are reasonable accommodations or solutions for students with learning disabilities during clinical learning experiences? Data collection for this study included student interviews, audio memos of the students’ descriptions of their lived experiences, and analysis of documents. Data was analyzed and coded using Moustakas’ (1994) transcendental phenomenological model and revealed the themes of negative emotions, disclosure, hands-on, negative faculty members, difficulties/obstacles, and determination. Implications for schools of nursing, nursing faculties, and nursing students with learning disabilities are discussed, and recommendations for areas of future research are included.
