〔Aims〕The purpose of this study was to elucidate the unlearning process in the nursing practice of competent nurses.

〔Methods〕Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 nurses in their third year after graduation from a nursing university, and the data collected were analyzed using a modified grounded theory approach.

〔Results〕The unlearning process in the nursing practice of competent nurses is a phenomenon wherein the nurses “begin to recognize that they are not novice nurses” and “reflect on the ways of their practice” based on their own unsuccessful experiences of approaching patients; then they “seek how to approach patients.” Thereby, they “try a new approach to break out of the current situation,” and when the patient responds as expected, the nurses begin to “embrace a sense of certainty regarding their perspective taking.” Finally, they recognize that their practice is changing, following which they take action to “apply their experience to the next step.”

〔Conclusions〕Competent nurses were found to have been unlearning their nursing practice through their interactions with others. The findings of this study suggest the need to offer support for competent nurses, by providing them not only with opportunities to reflect on their practice but also an environment within which they can observe the nursing practice of others.

〔Aims〕To clarify the process of how nursing teachers who are skilled in gerontological nursing support the relationship between students and the elderly and foster the students’ awareness of care.

〔Methods〕Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven nursing teachers who were experienced in gerontological nursing, and qualitative and inductive analysis of the results was conducted.

〔Results〕From the intergenerational exchanges supported by nursing teachers four categories were extracted for the first process （creation of opportunities）, six categories for the second process （promotion of independence）, and three categories for the third process （deepening of the realization of care）. As a result of intergenerational exchange support, a “comfortable care relationship” was established between the students and elderly persons.

〔Conclusions〕The nursing faculty’s support for the students’ involvement in the program suggested that the students’ sense of care had improved from a sense of care directed toward themselves, to a sense of care directed only toward the elderly, and then to a sense of care directed toward both themselves and the elderly.

〔Aims〕This study aims to identify new graduate nurses’perception of the teachings of preceptors who perceive that new graduate nurses can effectively improve the quality of nursing practices and to consider the characteristics of such perceptions.

〔Methods〕Questionnaires were distributed by traditional mail to 838 nurses with less than two years of experience at hospitals nationwide in Japan. The collected data were analyzed using content analysis for nursing education based on Berelson’s methodology.

〔Results〕We received responses from 207 nurses and analyzed data from 155 respondents who provided specific descriptions in open-ended questions. As a result of the analysis, we distinguished 37 categories representing the teachings of preceptors who perceive that new graduate nurses can effectively improve the quality of nursing practice, such as “Explain what the new graduate nurses are doing, what they are not doing and what they can improve.”

〔Conclusions〕After comparing our 37 categories with the existing literature, 10 characteristics of new graduate nurses’ perception of the preceptor teachings were found. These included “Support for reliably acquiring the knowledge and skills necessary for new graduate nurses.”

〔Aims〕To develop a reliable and validated scale for self-diagnosis of problems that nursing faculty in Japan encounter while supervising master’s theses.

〔Methods〕An exploratory sequential design of mixed methods was used. The questionnaire items were generated based on the problems that nursing faculty encounter in their supervision of master’s theses as revealed by qualitative research. Content validity was examined by a panel of experts and via two pilot studies. A national survey for nursing faculty involved in supervision of master’s theses was conducted to examine the reliability and validity of the scale.

〔Results〕Valid answers were 215, and 20 items were selected based on the results of item analysis. Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient was .87, and the result of test-retest reliability was r=.87 （p<.001）. The results of principal component analysis and analysis of covariance structures showed that the scale has a generally unidimensional structure. The scale scores were significantly correlated with research supervision abilities r=−.385 （p<.001）. The scores of the nursing faculty with experience producing PhDs were significantly lower than those without （t=2.36, p<.05）.

〔Conclusions〕The “Scale for Self-diagnosis of Problems While Supervising Master’s Thesis in Nursing” has both reliability and validity, and can be utilized for understanding objectively the problems that nursing faculty encounter in their supervision of master’s theses.