Barta, B. L. R. (2010). Certified nurse educators: Espoused and enacted teacher beliefs and the role they play in understanding relationship with nursing students. Retrieved from OhioLINK ETD.

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the espoused and enacted teacher beliefs of certified nurse educators and to identify the role that those beliefs play in the understanding of relationship with nursing students. Teacher beliefs of primary and secondary teachers have been studied and reported in the literature for over 30 years. However, knowledge about teacher beliefs of nurse educators is underrepresented in both nursing and education literature. A multiple case study approach was used for the research. Four case study subjects, representing at total of 68 years of teaching experience, were selected from a group of educators who have earned recognition of teaching expertise through the National League for Nursing as certified nurse educators (CNE). Data were collected through interviews and videotaped classroom observations with the participants over a period of two academic terms. Data were examined through the process of multiple codings and cross case analyses. Theories of teacher self-efficacy, teaching and learning, and student-teacher relationships provided the framework for coding data, reporting results, and drawing conclusions. Certified nurse educators in this study expressed teacher self-efficacy in the development and delivery of instructional pedagogy in their self-identified roles in teaching, but negative efficacy about the ability to engage nursing students in the pedagogy. Beliefs about student responsibility in learning, about priorities in teaching subject matter and knowledge about the craft of teaching became evident. Participant certified nurse educators feel efficacious in developing relationship with students. Results indicate that their personal prelicensure education experiences underpin their development of relationships with nursing students. Unexpected teacher beliefs emerged from this study related to the role of human patients in the timing of teaching moments in clinical settings and in the participants' perceptions of difference between themselves and their colleagues. This study produced a broad, descriptive look at espoused teacher beliefs of certified nurse educators. Results indicate enacted beliefs are congruent with espoused beliefs. Future study is needed to explore these beliefs in depth and to compare the beliefs of certified and non-certified nurse educators.