Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine ways to improve educational practices by evaluating whether the self-efficacy and motivation of third-year nursing students changed following a physical assessment course in which a teaching strategy intended to enhance their self-efficacy was implemented. In this study we conducted a questionnaire survey of 119 students at the start and end of the course in order to examine whether their self-efficacy had been enhanced by the teaching strategy we devised. The results showed that they had become more confident about putting into practice things they had learned, such as auscultation of breath sounds and observation of the abdomen, at the end of the course, and the increase in confidence was statistically significant. The scores of Attention and Relevance on the Japanese edition of the Course Interest Survey were also high, suggesting that our teaching strategy motivated them to learn and understand the importance of taking the course. On the Self-Efficacy Scale, the score of “the judgment of the assistance needs of patients” increased and the score of the subscale of “stress tolerance” decreased; both were statistically significant. One may speculate that the repeated examination of what assistance is necessary raised the former score, while students' realization of the necessity to conduct nursing practice properly lowered the latter score. In future studies, it will be necessary to explore how to improve educational practice by reexamining the content and volume of coursework given to students and by using videos of simulated patients in class.
