This paper presents a critical analysis of Sharif and Masoumi's (2005) qualitative study examining nursing students' experiences during clinical practice. The analysis covers the study's problem statement, purpose, research questions, design, subjects, data collection methods, data analysis procedures, and key strengths and limitations. The original study used focus group interviews with 90 baccalaureate nursing students at Shiraz University Medical Sciences to explore sources of anxiety and identify factors affecting professional socialization. This critical review evaluates the methodological choices and findings that shed light on how clinical environments shape student learning and professional identity development.
Sharif and Masoumi (2005) examine the problem of anxiety that components of the nursing program produce. This problem is important to understand because stress has the potential to diminish student learning during clinical practice. Understanding how anxiety manifests in clinical settings is therefore a meaningful concern for nursing educators and program designers.
Sharif and Masoumi conducted the study under review for the purpose of understanding the anxiety experienced by nursing students during clinical practice. Their investigation sought to capture students' subjective experiences within the clinical environment and identify the sources and nature of stress that students encounter.
The research questions addressed in the study include questions relating to how students feel about nursing education and about nursing in general. Students were also asked whether anything about the clinical field caused them to feel anxious, and were invited to discuss the clinical experiences they found most anxiety-producing as well as those they found enjoyable. The study further asked what students believed to be the best and worst things that might occur during a clinical experience, and what nursing students worried about in relation to clinical practice. Finally, the study posed the questions: "How do you think clinical experiences can be improved?" and "What is your expectation of clinical experiences?"
The method used by Sharif and Masoumi (2005) is qualitative in nature, taking the form of a focus group study. Focus groups "involve organized discussion with a selected group of individuals to gain information about their views and experiences of a topic and are particularly suited for obtaining several perspectives about the same topic" (p. 4). The group interview was the primary method used to gather data, with its focus placed on "words and observations to express reality and attempts to describe people in natural situations" (Sharif and Masoumi, 2005, p. 4).
This study was conducted using a sample of 90 baccalaureate nursing students drawn from a total of 200 nursing students at Shiraz University Medical Sciences, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery.
"Group interviews, coding levels, and validation"
"Professional socialization gains and gender bias"
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