Students’ Opinions on the Theoretical Aspects of Nursing Education in Turkey

Abstract

BACKGROUND/AIMS: In recent years, nursing education has attempted to transition to a student-centered curriculum; however, the nursing education system needs to renew itself and adapt to changing conditions. Therefore, the perceptions, opinions, and recommendations of the students, who are the cornerstones of education, in the changing process are important. This study aimed to reveal the opinions of nursing students on the theoretical aspect of nursing education. MATERIALS and METHODS: This descriptive qualitative study with a holistic single-case design was conducted with a total of 14 students. Interviews were conducted using a semi-structured interview form. The thematic descriptive and content analysis method was used to analyze the obtained data. RESULTS: Thematic analyses revealed that the most important theme was that a theoretical lesson is conducted 8 hours a day. Among the 14 metaphors produced by the students about the theoretical aspect of nursing education, a positive feature was mentioned only in one. CONCLUSION: Study results may guide decisions, such as planning course catalogs and curriculums. Additionally, students’ views can contribute to the conducted studies to improve and develop nursing education.