Flipped Classroom: Impact on Self-Efficacy and Evidence-Based Practice for Nursing Students

Abstract

Context: EBP is the preferred approach to clinical decision-making in order to respond to the increasing complexity of health situations (DiCenso et al., 2005). Despite its importance in providing quality care, the use of evidence-based clinical decision-making remains sub-optimal in nursing (Forsman, Wallin, Gustavsson & Rudman, 2012; Melnyk, Fineout Overholt, Gallagher-Ford & Kaplan, 2012, Pravikoff, Tanner et Pierce, 2005), which could be linked to individual factors such as skills, (Jones, Crookes & Johnson, 2011; Melnyk et al., 2012), attitudes (Estabrooks, Gustavsson & Wallin, 2011) and self-efficacy in regard to evidence-based practice (EBP) (Kajermo et al., 2010).

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to present the spin-offs of the elaboration and evaluation of an innovative learning activity whose pedagogical intent was to promote the development of the scientific rigour competency by promoting the development of positive self-efficacy, attitudes, and EBP among undergraduate nursing students.

Method: Based on cognitive social theory (Bandura, 2003), a flipped classroom on the development of a literature review was developed by a nursing master’s student. It was evaluated with a cohort of 248 undergraduate nursing students at the end of their third academic year. A non-validated questionnaire developed specifically for this project was completed by students before the activity, immediately after, and 6 weeks later.

Results: The results indicate high appreciation of the learning strategy. Even if the questionnaires could not be matched to the students, there was an increase in self-efficacy, attitudes, and research utilization, suggesting that the flipped classroom, in complementarity with other learning activities, helped the development of research utilization and EBP self-efficacy and positive attitudes. The results indicate that college education could influence EBP use, self-efficacy, and attitudes.