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Developing as a scholarly writer: The experience of students enrolled in a PhD in nursing program in the United States
Abstract
Graduates of doctoral nursing programs are expected to disseminate knowledge through scholarly writing, yet faculty teaching doctoral nursing students in two specific programs in western Pennsylvania in the United States noted students enter their doctoral programs with varying writing skills. The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to uncover the lived experience of developing as a scholarly writer. Data were collected through the use of a demographic questionnaire and personal interviews with 10 students enrolled in their first semester of coursework in a traditional, rather than online, 60-credit PhD in nursing program at a large state university in western Pennsylvania. All interviews were recorded and transcribed and served as rich data sources. Data were analyzed using a systematic approach consistent with hermeneutic phenomenology. Themes uncovered included (a) coming to know about scholarly writing, (b) shifting thinking in order to write scholarly, (c) giving birth: the pain and the pleasure of scholarly writing, and (d) putting all the pieces together into the final product. Findings from this study can help faculty to understand the experiences of nursing student scholarly writing development. Recommendations based on the findings include a collection of teaching strategies that can be used to facilitate scholarly writer development across all levels of nursing education.
... This translated to uncertainty about the best pedagogical approaches to use in order to facilitate the development of scholarly writing skills in their students. A collection of pedagogical approaches that are based on study findings and can be used by faculty charged with facilitating the development of scholarly writers is included (Gazza, Shellenbarger, & Hunker, 2013). ...
... Analysis of the narratives detailing the writing experience of study informants revealed that nursing students understand or come to know the essence of scholarly writing while enrolled in doctoral nursing education programs in Thailand and that the timing of this process is variable. Similar to Gazza et al. (2013) and Shellenbarger et al. (2015) findings, many informants in this study were able to identify a pivotal individual who provided support via an interpersonal connection, whether it was a family member or someone from academia. For many, learning about the practice of scholarly writing occurs in doctoral education and with the help of those who are knowledgeable about such writing. ...
... This is consistent with the literature that discusses the importance of successful writing groups. Doctoral nursing students provided support and through a community of scholars helped shaped peer writing (Gazza & Hunker, 2012;Gazza et al., 2013). Similar writing support groups have been effectively used with nursing faculty to increase writing for publication (Caffarella & Barnett, 2000;Gazza et al., 2013;Petty, Cross, & Stew, 2012) and with nurses and other professionals. ...
Graduates of PhD nursing programs are expected to produce complex genres of writing such as abstracts, research grants, manuscripts for publication, and dissertations. Research evidence shows a wide range of variability in writing among doctoral nursing students, and these variations may become more profound when exposed to complex genres. the objective of this study to explore the experience of PhD candidate in writing publication in high indexed journal. This case study used depth interview, semi structured question, Interview conducting in English, recorded voice used for transcribing data in 2 respondents from doctoral nursing candidate in Bangkok Thailand comes from Mahidol university and Chulalongkorn university. Participants’ criteria for this study are: 1) Doctoral candidate with minimum 1 publication in high indexed journal (Scopus/ ISI Thompson) 2) Doctoral nursing students that study in Thailand 3) Pass Qualifying Exam. Data analysis used modification Benner’s methods use in this study. This study exposing three themes. Theme 1: Strategies for publish. Theme 2: Support for publishing journal. Theme 3: two ways Communication with journal editors and public. Introduce scholarly writing at the undergraduate level and reinforce across the nursing education continuum, provide students with examples of quality scholarly writing, encourage student to connect with writing mentors (peers, colleagues, family, editor, faculty) are main recommendation for postgraduate student for increasing high level publication of nursing students.
... Professional development was noted to be taking place when student participants indicated recognition of the value of their writing to their thinking, confidence, nursing identity, and bedside clinical practice. The authors of papers or their student participants used various words and phrases to reflect what we interpreted as student growth in thinking including: transforming (Diekelmann & Ironside, 1998), intellectual development (Gopee & Deane, 2013), mind shift (Gazza et al., 2013), reflective mindset (Blakeslee et al., 2018), and life-long learner (Lundgren & Halvarsson, 2009;Lundgren & Robertsson, 2013). ...
... Self-confidence grew when students were able to immediately apply what they learned when writing in future courses (Blakeslee et al., 2018). Writing was described as painful (Gazza et al., 2013), energizing (Shellenbarger et al., 2015), or a roller-coaster (Lundgren and Halvarsson, 2009). Because contexts for writing changed from course to course, students continuously felt unsure about their research, writing abilities, and the soundness of their arguments as they entered new contexts. ...
... They expressed doubts that these uncertainties would abate (Gimenez, 2012;Whitehead, 2002). Students identified that faculty played a key role in helping them establish writing confidence and control fluctuating writing emotions (Gazza et al., 2013;Tyndall & Scott, 2017). ...
Writing practices in nursing education programs are situated in a tension-filled context resulting from competing medical-technical and relational nursing discourses. The goal of this qualitative meta-study is to understand, from the student perspective, how the context for writing in nursing is constructed and the benefits of writing to nursing knowledge development. A literature search using the CINHAL, Medline, ERIC, and Academic Search complete databases, using systematic methods identified 21 papers and dissertations which gathered qualitative interview or survey data from students in nursing at the pre-registration, continuing education, and graduate levels. The studies provided evidence that writing assignments promote professional identity development but overemphasis on writing mechanics when grading have a deleterious effect on learning and student engagement with writing. Relationship building with faculty should extend beyond what is needed to maximize grades. Suggestions for writing pedagogical reform are identified to facilitate a change in focus from mechanical-technical to transformative writing.
... These challenges vary from dayto-day constraints in association with sustenance on a decreased profit to the rigorous assignment in establishing scholarly existence (Cotterall, 2013). Empirical evidence suggests that challenges related to PhD process include but not limited to psychological or sentimental repercussion (Wall, 2008), dexterity in composing scholastic paper (Gazza, Shellenbarger & Hunker, 2013), and insistence in supervision (Evans, 2007), while other demands include maintaining job at the same time schooling (Paliktzoglou & Suhonen, 2011), or deficiency of funds for research (Harman, 2003). The Council of Graduate Schools (2008) reported that the program attrition rate for doctoral is 40% to 50% on average and it varies in different disciplines as nurses attend in diverse doctoral initiatives or fields. ...
... External motivators include the support from students' significant relationship such as family, friends, peers/ classmates, mentors/ advisers, and organization while their conviction or perseverance amidst the difficulty to finish the degree is classified under internal motivation. The task of earning a PhD is an exercise and struggle in relation to writing skills (Gazza et al., 2013), juggle various functions, balance numerous activities, and cultivate discipline to remain in their endeavors (Jarnagin, 2005). The desire to enhance professional and personal identity was the core influential factor, while challenges included balancing of family, social, work and academic responsibilities. ...
The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of graduates (nurses) of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in nursing education. It also described participants' recommendations for supportive practices in pursuit of PhD. A descriptive phenomenological research design was used in the study. Data were gathered from 12 participants who graduated from universities offering the program. It was collected through individual, semi-structured interview with the main question "Tell me your experiences in pursuing PhD in nursing education?" It utilized phenomenological analysis method of Van Kaam (1966). Results revealed major themes which included: (1) Career jumpstart: unplanned opportunities; (2) Sharpening the Saw: Tales of the Learners; and, (3) Behind the Curtain: The unfolding of a new beginning, and minor themes of the 2nd, specifically: (a) Forming and Molding: The Learning cycle; (b) Role juggling: Harmonizing responsibilities; and, (c) The Silver Lining: Visible and ulterior push factors.
... Most of the studies were published in the last 6 years (n=28; [3, 5, 8, 10-17, 19-21, 27, 28, 30, 33, 35- [3,5,11,12,17,20,27,35,36,56,57]. The majority of studies used a quantitative approach (n=20; [2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 11, 13-15, 18, 30, 35, 37, 44, 45, 49, 50, 52-54]), while others applied a qualitative (n=15; [12,17,20,24,25,28,33,35,38,46,47,51,[55][56][57]) or mix-methods design (n=3; [8,16,21]). Only one integrative review emerged [19] along with two case analyses (n=2; [27,48]). ...
... They also required more in-depth statistical courses [8]. Additionally, PhD students have highlighted that learning scholarly writing is more effective when you have someone to explain it (expert-faculty to guide) and when the support system in this scope is established [51]. ...
Background
This study aimed to map and summarise the state of the research regarding doctoral programs in nursing, as well as the issues debated in the context of nursing doctoral education. A Scoping Review in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analysis extension scoping reviews statement (PRISMA-ScR) was conducted. Three electronic bibliographic data bases were searched: Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature Complete, Medline (on EBSCO Host) and SCOPUS to identify empirical studies published between January 2009 and December 2019. The review process was based on framework identified by Arksey and O’Malley and further revised by Levac and colleagues. Analysis was performed with the use of the Donabedian framework regarding the structure of the doctorate programmes, the process, and the outcomes.
Results
The review included 41 articles, mostly originating in the United States ( n =26) and Europe ( n =8), mainly by collecting the perceptions of students and faculty members with descriptive studies. The following issues were investigated at the (a) structure level: Prerequisite for doctoral candidates , Qualifications of faculty members , Mission of doctoral programs ; (b) process level: Doctoral programs contents, Doctoral programs resources and quality, Mentoring and supervision, Doing doctorate abroad ; and (c) outcome level: Academic performance outcomes in doctoral programs, Doctoral graduates’ competences, Doctoral students/graduates’ satisfaction, Doctoral graduates’ challenges.
Conclusions
Doctoral programs have mainly been investigated to date with descriptive studies, suggesting more robust research investigating the effectiveness of strategies to prepare future scientists in the nursing discipline. Doctorates are different across countries, and there is no visible cooperation of scholars internationally; their structure and processes have been reported to be stable over the years, thus not following the research development in nursing, discipline and practice expectations. Moreover, no clear framework of outcomes in the short- and long-term have been established to date to measure the quality and effectiveness of doctorate education. National and global strategies might establish common structure, process and outcome frameworks, as well as promote robust studies that are capable of assessing the effectiveness of this field of education.
... In other words, university faculty ( including academic nurses) are expected to "publish or perish." Nursing scholarly writing has been defi ned as "writing that is specialized in the discipline of nursing, communicates original thought, includes support from a body of literature, contains formal language consistent with the discipline of nursing, and is formatted in a manner consistent with peer-reviewed publications" (Gazza, Shellenbarger, & Hunker, 2013). This defi nition of scholarly writing is not limited to publications in research and practice journals but also includes abstracts as well as articles in the popular press including newspapers, magazines, blogs, and more. ...
... Graduate level nursing students are required to produce scholarly writing that generates new knowledge (e.g., PhD dissertation) or is aimed at improving nursing practice (master's degree capstone; doctor of nursing practice [DNP] projects). The challenge to many undergraduate and graduate nursing students is that most nursing programs place limited emphasis on developing scholarly writing skills in their curricula (Borglin & Fagerström, 2012;Gazza et al., 2013). Scholarly writing has been referred to as a "game with a bewildering set of rules, many of which are never made explicit to student writers" (Harwood & Hadley, 2004). ...
... Focused attention on mentoring the next generation of nurse reviewers is necessary to improve the quality of evidence for practice (Patterson, 2015). However, because few studies have evaluated different approaches to teaching the peer review process, there is not yet sufficient evidence as to what constitutes effective training for peer reviewers (Galipeau, 2015;Gazza, Shellenbarger, & Hunker, 2012). ...
... Nurses with doctoral degrees are expected to contribute to the dissemination of scholarship and mentor the next generation of nurses. Qualitative evidence suggests that participating in the peer review process is one way to be involved in this effort (Gazza et al., 2012). To engage confidently and competently in this process, PhD nursing students need to understand the specifics of conducting a quality peer review and providing constructive feedback. ...
Background:
Peer review is an expectation of PhD-prepared nurses but a lack of evidence in the best methods to train students is of concern.
Method:
Guided by the ADDIE (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation) model, faculty at two universities developed, implemented, and evaluated a peer review assignment for 22 second-year PhD nursing students. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analyzed using descriptive statistics and content analysis.
Results:
Students reported the process of peer review was beneficial (82%) because it informed their own writing (59%), assisted them to read more critically (73%), and increased their appreciation of the role of peer review in the revision process (77%). Giving constructive feedback was difficult for students, but the feedback they received was helpful.
Conclusion:
Peer review is important to the development of science and an expectation of PhD-prepared nurses. Methods to include peer review in education are needed. [J Nurs Educ. 2016;55(6):342-344.].
... Nursing and midwifery students are expected to produce academic assignments that demonstrate effective abilities to find, critically appraise and apply research findings to practice. It is widely acknowledged that this is a core skill that many students (both undergraduate and postgraduate) struggle with (Whitehead 2002, Gazza et al 2013, Gopee & Deane 2013, Hunker et al 2014. Learning effective literature search and appraisal skills can greatly assist. ...
... They are a useful tool in managing the literature search and review processes, as they store bibliographic details of journal articles, reports and other print materials. Examples of these databases include EndNote, Reference Manager, Pro-Cite, Papyrus, CiteULike, RefWorks etc (Francese 2011). Some universities provide research students with access to these types of bibliographical databases as part of a site-licence agreement or they can be purchased individually. ...
After reading this chapter, you should be able to: • discuss different types of literature sources • conduct a focused search of the literature using an explicit search strategy • discuss the use of literature in relation to specific research designs and methodological approaches • identify the characteristics of a relevant literature review • begin to apply criteria to evaluate (summarise and critique) a research article and broader research literature on a specific topic.
... The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) process is challenging for many students (Lee, 2009) and some students abandon the journey at a point while others fail their thesis. Previous authors have shed some light on the challenging PhD process such as writing skills (Gazza, Shellenbarger, & Hunker, 2013); emotional and psychological consequences (Wall, 2008); inadequate research funding (Harman, 2003); supervisory demands (Evans, 2007); and managing work and study (Paliktzoglou & Suhonen, 2011). In the midst of all these challenges, many nurses have obtained PhDs and this has provided a lot of benefits for them. ...
... Some of the experiences are similar to those reported by previous authors such as writing difficulties, funding challenges, managing work with studies, and receiving support. Academic writing is a key requirement of a PhD and it has been observed that PhD students have different levels of writing skills on commencement of their program (Gazza et al., 2013). Infact nurses should improve their academic writing skills even before they begin their PhD journeys to ensure a better outcome. ...
Introduction: Nurses globally have strived to obtain a Doctor of Philosophy Degree (PhD) especially those in academia. Few publications have focused on lived experiences of nurses especially those reporting failed attempts. Thus, this paper presents how lessons learnt from a failed attempt of a PhD in Nursing was used to achieve an outstanding success of a second attempt. Process and strategies: Using a reflexive ethnographic approach, conclusions reached are that student’s pre-entry skills, use of software, mentorship, effective management of family and work enhance the outcome of a PhD study. Other strategies were effective time management, social support, and creating learning and cognitive spaces. A disadvantaged background of a PhD student should not lead to failure. It was reinforced that PhD students require extensive reading and use of rigorous but systematic research processes. Conclusion: Adequate support is required to help PhD students in Nursing based on the individual’s need to enhance a successful outcome. It is recommended that nurses should rise to the challenge of obtaining PhDs and contribute to the body of nursing knowledge.
... Referring back to the literature noting the career benefits of involving students in the research process, the long-term effects of publishing manuscripts can be measured by journal impact factors, citation metrics, and publication credits to co-authors which may translate to graduate education or career advantages. This impact is particularly important for faculty and graduate students, who are often reliant on publication productivity as an indicator of career success (Chase et al., 2013;Gazza et al., 2013). ...
The Paper Chase model is a synchronous collaborative approach to manuscript development. Through a structured and team-based design, authors participate in a “marathon” of writing, editing, revising, and submitting their publications within a specified period. This active-learning approach is considered a high-impact practice by engaging students in research dissemination through a collaborative project. This study sought to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a virtual Paper Chase exercise. We conducted the Paper Chase with six teams led by multidisciplinary faculty (with 24 undergraduate students and four graduate students). All participants were given pre-and post-surveys, with both open- and closed-ended questions. Results indicated that the process increased cooperative and problem-solving components of group work attitudes, increased participants’ confidence in writing skills, increased understanding of research processes and that participants appreciated putting their skills immediately into practice. Participants identified strengths as well as opportunities for improvement in online modules and facilitation. The process was effective in that half of the manuscripts were submitted to peer-reviewed outlets within 90 days of the event. The positive evidence for learning in the virtual Paper Chase model supports future applications and may strengthen the involvement of students in research dissemination. Additional research may expand upon the findings by assessing group work dynamics, quality of final products, and conducting the process in a hybrid model.
... While skills can be developed within DNP programs, faculty miss development opportunities. Students reported limited writing practice options and indicated that feedback (if provided) was minimal, inconsistent, or overemphasized mechanics (i.e., grammar and sentence structure), a practice that can hinder student engagement and learning (Gazza et al., 2013;Giddens and Lobo, 2013;Mitchell et al., 2020). ...
Background
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) students lack sufficient opportunities to practice writing. Students and faculty require clear expectations and consistent feedback to improve skills.
Objective
This study evaluated a rubric-driven scientific writing development program.
Design
A mixed methods design was used.
Setting
The study was conducted in a post-Master's DNP Program.
Participants
The sample included DNP students and faculty.
Methods
The intervention was delivered to 10 students and writing proficiency was assessed over five semesters. Overall doctoral project quality and rigor were assessed at the end of the program and compared to a similar group of students (n = 20). Seven faculty and eight students participated in qualitative interviews.
Results
Performance improved from Semesters 1 to 5; and though quality and rigor did not differ, the intervention group's final papers were more efficiently written with approximately 17 fewer pages and an average review time of eight fewer minutes than the comparison group. Participants identified the rubric, feedback, and scaffolding as helpful program components.
Conclusions
Scientific writing development is essential to DNP education. The intervention improved skill performance and writing efficiency.
Open Access Link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2022.105334
... First, nursing graduate students may enter the DNP program through various educational routes and may not have received consistent education and emphasis on writing skills throughout their undergraduate curriculum. [7] This is in direct contrast to other disciplines, such as sociology or psychology, where scholarly writing is foundational to the degree program. Second, undergraduate nursing education is traditionally rooted in the application of clinical skills and critical thinking, with little focus on writing. ...
Background and objective: Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP) students are trained to integrate both clinical care and evidence-based research in order to bring together science with application. However, the educational pathways in DNP programs can be problematic, especially with regards to scholarly writing. While several interventions have been utilized for DNP students, the results show that the intervention(s) used should be tailored to the specific student body being served. However, limited evidence exists regarding the effectiveness of tailored interventions on improving central concepts such as writing self-efficacy. Given these differences in the design and delivery of the DNP curricula, we created a tailored educational-writing curriculum for new DNP students at a medium-sized academic medical center in a Southern state.Methods: We assessed changes in writing self-efficacy over the three measurement intervals using linear mixed effects modeling to account for within-student clustering of writing self-efficacy scores over time.Results: Baseline scores of writing self-efficacy improved immediately after the workshop (Timepoint 2 – immediate post-test) and a full semester later (Timepoint 3 – semester post-test). However, we observed no statistically significant difference between Timepoint 2 (immediate post-test) and Timepoint 3 (semester post-test).Conclusions: We saw a significant benefit in writing self-efficacy among incoming DNP students from baseline scores. The tailored format and integration of real-life anecdotal feedback from faculty may have been fundamental to creating an increase in writing self-efficacy among students—a concept foundational to student, and possibly professional, nursing success.
... 11,16,17 In several other studies, participants stated that they wanted feedback commensurate with effort, individualized and content-focused (vs grammar, punctuation, and structure alone), balanced positive and negative (to avoid demoralizing students), and early enough to allow for revision. [17][18][19][20] These data indicate that there is a lack of clarity for both students and faculty regarding expectations for student scientific writing performance. ...
Background/Problem: Within nursing and other health professions, scientific writing skill development interventions are widely represented in the literature. However, the specific skills required are poorly defined and measured.
Approach: This study used a cross-sectional, descriptive design to compare scientific writing skill assessment of Doctor of Nursing Practice program graduates using two rubrics: general essay and scientific writing.
Outcomes: Of 13 skills measured, adherence to a standard structure, paraphrasing, and grammar, punctuation, and style were among the strongest. Use of primary sources, concise, non-redundant presentation, and critical appraisal were among the weakest. Overall interrater agreement for the general essay writing rubric was 69.6% and 82.3% for the scientific writing rubric.
Conclusions: The scientific writing rubric was more useful for identifying specific skill strengths and weaknesses and improved interrater consistency compared to the essay writing rubric.
https://journals.lww.com/nurseeducatoronline/Abstract/9000/Evaluating_Scientific_Writing_Skill_in_DNP_Program.99287.aspx
... Though many graduate students begin to learn about scholarly writing at the master's level (Gazza, et al., 2013), in doctoral study the complexity of scholarly writing is compounded by the unique nature of the doctoral program, which demands that students learn to think in qualitatively different ways in order to undertake a significant and largely independent research project that implicates their future career trajectories (Ballamingie & Johnson, 2011;Billo & Hiemstra, 2013). The Dublin Descriptors, developed as part of the 2005 Qualifications Framework of the European Higher Education Area, describe the expectations of each level of higher education, and highlight a significant gap in competency goals from master's to doctoral work (see Table 1): Thus, expectations of doctoral students differ from those of master's students in several key ways: comprehensive knowledge of both research methods and the relevant literature; production of a substantial intellectual contribution worthy of international publication; ability to critique and produce knowledge; and the ability to promote research impact and converse with other experts in the field as well as the general public. ...
Aim/Purpose: This systematic review synthesizes the literature on doctoral writing and feedback published in peer-reviewed English-language journals between 1997 and 2017 to provide insight into how these topics have been theorized and approached. The goal was to examine how this literature characterizes the development of academic identity in doctoral students to better understand the conceptual relationships underpinning previous studies, and advance work on writing, feedback, and identity to support budding researchers. Background: Research on doctoral writing and identity development has been a focus of research in higher education over the past two decades, as identity development has been recognized as a key outcome of doctoral study; the PhD program is meant to transform students into independent researchers. As a site of identity development, writing—and feedback on writing—are central to doctoral growth. Methodology: The systematic search resulted in 887 citations, of which 579 abstracts were read reducing the number of relevant citations to 95. These 95 full text papers were reviewed, and 37 studies met our inclusion criteria. Frequently cited papers were identified and 3 were added to the final corpus for a total of 40 articles. (Limitations include the constraint to English-language articles and the exclusion of books, book chapters, and conference papers.) All 40 articles were open coded for definitions of academic identity, theoretical frameworks, research context, and key themes. Contribution: This paper contributes a comprehensive analysis of the theoretical perspectives on identity development underlying recent work on doctoral writing and feedback. It demonstrates that this literature takes a largely sociocultural approach to identity: conceived as shaped largely by social structures and interactions. This review also confirms a complex relationship between writing, feedback, and identity in which doctoral students draw upon feedback on their writing to learn about what it means to be a researcher in practice, and how to communicate like a researcher in their relevant discourse communities, thereby advancing their research thinking and encouraging critical reflection on writing and research practices. Findings: The review revealed that the literature draws primarily on sociocultural perspectives, that is, examining writing and feedback through the lens of the practices of the groups in which the individual engages - with academic identity development, though rarely defined, represented as an iterative process of writing and feedback. We noted two gaps resulting from this perspective, which are highlighted by the very few studies taking different perspectives. The first is the lack of attention to individual variation in agency as regards seeking out and using feedback. The second is the potential influence of feedback on critical thinking, which is seen as central to PhD progress. Future Research: Future research may adopt varying theoretical approaches to identity development to shed light on the role of individual agency in identity construction. Future studies that focus on the process of how students respond to and are influenced (or not) by feedback would be useful in illuminating the connections between feedback, writing, and the development of research thinking—all of which contribute to identity development.
... In nursing programs, faculty and administration might also miss opportunities to develop writing skills in students. Gazza et al 13 indicated that doctoral students attributed their graduate education challenges to a lack of writing practice and limited feedback from prelicensure faculty. ...
Background:
Nursing students are underprepared for the rigors of graduate writing. The lack of sufficient writing opportunities and skill development in prelicensure nursing education creates barriers that threaten course and program progression.
Approach:
This study used a prospective, repeated-measures design to evaluate 5 years of faculty-implemented writing development strategies in a DNP program.
Outcomes:
Faculty adopted 12 strategies in 10 courses. The strategies addressed skill building in content, construction, format, plagiarism, and citation use. The most frequently used strategies were rubrics, plagiarism detection software, multistep assignments, and examples of well-written papers, all strategies that increased in use over the 5-year study.
Conclusions:
Graduate faculty interact with students and assess writing development outcomes firsthand. Changes in faculty practices over time can indicate the strategies they consider most valuable for writing development.
Video Abstract at: https://journals.lww.com/nurseeducatoronline/Pages/videogallery.aspx?videoId=175&autoPlay=true
... Four of the databased articles used qualitative analysis to explore nursing students' writing development and needs (Borglin & Fagerstrom, 2012;Carter & Rukholm, 2008;Crawford & Candlin, 2013;Gazza, Shellenbarger, & Hunker, 2013). A quasi-experimental study that analyzed students' contributions to an online asynchronous discussion board found that students who posted a larger number of messages demonstrated evidence of using Carper's (1978) four ways of knowing in their writing, as well as improved critical thinking and writing skills (Carter et al., 2006). ...
The authors systematically reviewed the nursing literature for articles describing substance use disorders (SUDs) education in schools of nursing. Five literature databases were searched, producing 3107 retrieved articles, of which 12 were included in this review. A Medical Education Research Study Quality Instrument score was calculated for each study. The included studies demonstrated that teaching nursing students about SUDs produced a positive impact on their attitudes, knowledge, and skills.
... Four of the databased articles used qualitative analysis to explore nursing students' writing development and needs (Borglin & Fagerstrom, 2012;Carter & Rukholm, 2008;Crawford & Candlin, 2013;Gazza, Shellenbarger, & Hunker, 2013). A quasi-experimental study that analyzed students' contributions to an online asynchronous discussion board found that students who posted a larger number of messages demonstrated evidence of using Carper's (1978) four ways of knowing in their writing, as well as improved critical thinking and writing skills (Carter et al., 2006). ...
... Sources contributing to discomfort include writing skill deficiencies, unfamiliarity with the publication process, and fear of having a manuscript rejected (Cone & Van Dover, 2012;Luiselli, 2010;Newton & Moore, 2010;Oermann & Hays, 2015). For many, writing is an emotional process that triggers insecurity, anxiety, and fear (Gazza, Shellenbarger, & Hunker, 2013;Shah, Shah, & Pietrobon, 2009;Shellenbarger, Hunker, & Gazza, 2014). And finally, the limited time that clinical nurses have to organize ideas into a paper magnifies these challenges (Dowling, Savrin, & Graham, 2013). ...
Problem:
Nurses in clinical settings often generate innovative practice ideas to inform their practice and improve patient outcomes. Yet, few publish and share these innovations with a wider audience. Barriers impeding clinical nurses from writing for publication include discomfort with writing, lack of time, and scarce resources.
Methods:
A qualitative study was designed to determine obstacles and facilitators to writing for publication. Interviews were conducted with five clinical nurses who had recently published in peer-reviewed journals.
Findings:
Three themes emerged from the data: culture of "nice to do," personal motivation, and writing experiences. Findings from the study offer implications for nurse leaders to help increase publication efforts by clinical nurses in acute care settings.
Conclusion:
Nurse leaders can promote publication by clinical nurses through three main strategies: create a culture that supports publication, offer incentives to motivate nurses to publish and reward those who do publish, and provide writing experiences that facilitate writing for publication.
... Four of the databased articles used qualitative analysis to explore nursing students' writing development and needs (Borglin & Fagerstrom, 2012;Carter & Rukholm, 2008;Crawford & Candlin, 2013;Gazza, Shellenbarger, & Hunker, 2013). A quasi-experimental study that analyzed students' contributions to an online asynchronous discussion board found that students who posted a larger number of messages demonstrated evidence of using Carper's (1978) four ways of knowing in their writing, as well as improved critical thinking and writing skills (Carter et al., 2006). ...
The purpose of this article is to describe the outcomes of a systematic review of educational programs and strategies for developing the writing skills of nursing students and nurses. Of 728 screened citations, 80 articles were included in the review. Writing assignments in nursing courses were the most common, followed by strategies for writing across the curriculum and specific courses to improve the writing skills of nursing students. To improve nurses' writing skills, workshops were used most frequently. Only 28 (35%) of the articles were databased, and most articles described the writing program, strategy, or assignment but did not evaluate its effectiveness. [J Nurs Educ. 2015;54(x):xxx-xxx.].
Copyright 2014, SLACK Incorporated.
Productive scholarly writing is important for succeeding in graduate nursing programs such as thesis-and practice-based master's or doctoral degrees. Nurses pursuing graduate-level programs are expected to produce high-level scholarly writing manuscripts. However, writing typically is an independent and isolating endeavor. This article describes a student-led writing group ("Sit Down & Write!") that was adapted from the "Shut Up & Write!" (SUAW) structure. Five strategies were incorporated to meet the unique needs of graduate nursing students and foster productivity: (a) provide space for diverse groups of nursing students to participate, (b) offer flexible scheduling, (c) accommodate a flexible group structure, (d) host longer sessions, and (e) allow time to discuss writing goals. Overall, Sit Down and Write! provided a community of productive writing support. Future adaptations may consider providing a virtual option so sessions are accessible to students who are unable to join in-person. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2021;52(7):313-318.].
Background
Nursing faculty are expected to disseminate scholarly work through publications, yet little is known about how faculty develop as scholarly writers.
Purpose
This manuscript discusses a hermeneutic phenomenological research study that uncovered the experience of nursing faculty developing as scholarly writers.
Methods
Audiotaped personal interviews were conducted with 12 nursing faculty to understand the lived experience of nursing faculty developing as scholarly writers. A 5-step data analysis process consistent with phenomenology was used to identify common themes.
Results
Findings revealed five themes: pulling everything together, steering me in the direction, using feedback to grow, squeezing it in, and staying on task.
Conclusion
This study offers educators insight into the experience of faculty developing as scholarly writers and leads to recommendations for approaches that may be useful in writing development.
Writing competency is increasingly recognized as imperative for advanced practice nurses (APNs) who are engaged in evidence-based practice (EBP). Writing skills are an implied expectation inherent in many APN evidence-based practice competencies, such as "formulating evidence based policies and procedures," and "communicates best evidence …." A quality improvement project was implemented for APN's within a post-Master's Doctor of Nursing Practice program, to create a novel set of low-cost, high-impact strategies that could be embedded into a program of study to improve APN writing skills. Prior work has indicated that mentorship and peer support are useful strategies that can contribute to the enhancement of APN writing skills. This study builds on prior work to develop a quantitative evaluation of a peer-supported writing intervention for APNs. Read Aloud innovation was one of two strategies chosen from among many writing improvement strategies identified in the literature because of easy implementation, even by faculty who lacked confidence in providing traditional writing instruction. If explicit development of writing competencies is not elevated to a higher priority in APN education, suboptimal writing confidence is likely to continue across the professional lifetime and will present as a recurring challenge for APNs who pursue higher educational degrees, transition into faculty roles, or seek to fully develop APN EBP competencies. Findings from this study indicate that feedback received from peers during the structured Read Aloud innovation, with emphasis on hierarchy of paragraph sentences (i.e., explicit examination for overarching quality of the leading sentence), is effective in improving clarity and brevity of writing among APNs.
Undergraduate students often perceive a disconnect between research and nursing practice. To support student understanding of this relationship, an innovative, authentic learning environment was created in a writing-intensive, capstone-level nursing course. Authentic learning environments couple real-life situations/simulations with personal, experiential learner engagement. Students completed pre- and postsurveys assessing their beliefs about and confidence in using research to inform practice. Quantitative and open-ended qualitative responses were analyzed with inferential statistics and conventional content analysis techniques, respectively. Findings suggested the learning environment increased student confidence and facilitated connections between research and practice, supporting continued use and further evaluation of this approach.
Aim:
This study explored master of science in nursing students' self-assessed use of the evidence-based knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSAs) of scholarly writing.
Background:
Understanding MSN students' self-assessed use of the KSAs of writing can help faculty better prepare MSN graduates to advance the science of nursing through scholarly writing.
Method:
A descriptive correlational design was used to determine how a national sample of 76 MSN students assessed their ability to demonstrate the KSAs of scholarly writing and to determine associations between select demographic variables and the self-assessment results.
Results:
Participants were familiar with the KSAs of scholarly writing and used them with varying frequency. No associations were identified between demographic variables and the KSA self-assessment ratings.
Conclusion:
Additional writing opportunities and inclusion of a variety of writing assignments could increase use of the KSAs and therefore facilitate the development of scholarly writing abilities needed to advance nursing.
Pedagogical practices for writing development in doctoral programs are often the by-product of completing dissertation research and may lack deliberate strategies to assist students with complex genres of writing. This article proposes a framework for doctoral education to assist students with mastery of threshold concepts in writing. Threshold concepts in writing are examined for their applicability to the evolution of writing in PhD nursing students as they begin to think and write like nurse scientists.
Background:
The nursing profession has made several unsuccessful attempts to differentiate practice between nurses with associate degrees and baccalaureate degrees entering the workforce. Writing competency has been identified as one potential area of differentiation.
Method:
A descriptive, qualitative research design was used to explore Associate Degree in Nursing-to-Baccalaureate Degree in Nursing (ADN-to-BSN) graduates' perceptions of scholarly writing development in their baccalaureate studies. Nine recent graduates from a public college of nursing participated in semistructured interviews.
Results:
Findings from content analysis revealed three phases of awareness in development of a scholarly writer: being a scholarly writer, assessing writing abilities, and connecting to practice.
Conclusion:
The study findings provide insight into competencies that could differentiate practice between ADN and BSN nurses entering the workforce. Although this study aimed to find out how ADN-to-BSN students are shaped as writers, findings suggest that the experience of learning to write may also be shaping students as professional nurses. [J Nurs Educ. 2017;56(3):182-185.].
Transitioning into the role of nurse scientist requires the acquisition of new knowledge, but also involves the development of new scholarly skills and the appropriation of the unique values and goals of the new role. Students engaged in PhD education in all practice disciplines are confronted with a necessary shift in perspective and identity from that of the practice expert to the research scientist, and experience a tension referred to as the research-practice dualism. The purpose of this article is to examine the ramifications of this identity shift in nursing PhD education, and to detail one program's strategy to address the inherent tension. This transition into the role of nurse scientist includes learning to value scholarly literature, expanding one's philosophical and disciplinary vocabulary, cultivating disciplinary inquisitiveness, learning scholarly communication and dissemination skills, and developing new collegial relationships. It is essential that this process of transitioning from clinician to scholar be purposively supported from the outset of the program. Faculty must critically examine current educational strategies and design new approaches to more effectively integrate the practice and science worlds, thereby enhancing program completion and graduating nurse scientists who are equipped to contribute to the knowledge of the discipline.
Faculty teaching nurses enrolled in clinical doctoral programs need to understand the process of student scholarly writing development so that students can be prepared to share knowledge and communicate effectively in scholarly formats.
A hermeneutic phenomenological study that sought to understand the scholarly writing development of nurses enrolled in a clinical doctoral program was conducted.
Findings from interviews with six Doctor of Nursing Practice students revealed three themes: learning throughout life, influence of emotions, and getting through the gate.
Based upon these findings, recommendations for further development of doctoral student writing are suggested so that students can disseminate their knowledge in a scholarly manner, improve practice, and contribute to the profession.
As nursing care in health care settings becomes more complex, nurses are called upon to work effectively with other health care providers to deliver high quality evidence-based care. To do so in a cost effective and efficient manner requires the development of effective oral and written communication skills in nurses. One form of written communication is scholarly writing. Scholarly writing is defined by the authors as writing that is specialized in nursing, communicates original thought, includes support from a body of literature, contains formal language consistent with the discipline of nursing, and is formatted in a manner consistent with peer-review publications. Faculty who facilitate the development of these skills face inconsistencies in students’ writing ability and development across programs and levels of education. Nurse educators need to understand how to develop these communication skills for students enrolled at various educational levels and to teach students how to share information in a scholarly way.
Radiology and imaging nurses have specific knowledge and expertise that can enhance the quality and safety of patient care. In order for care enhancement to occur, nurses must disseminate their knowledge and expertise. One approach to dissemination is through scholarly writing. This article presents a comprehensive approach to developing as a scholarly writer. The results of a hermeneutic phenomenological study that uncovered the experience of developing as a scholarly writer from the perspective of first semester PhD nursing students served as the basis for the recommended strategies. The strategies include learn about scholarly writing, create a writing scaffold, put the pieces together, and celebrate accomplishments that can be used by individuals and groups interested in advancing the specialty of radiology and imaging nursing through scholarly writing.
Data were gathered from 45 doctoral students through focus groups, observations, and written and oral reections to ascertain their perceptions of a speci® c teaching process (the Scholarly Writing Project), which was designed to assist these students in learning how to do academic writing. It was found that preparing and receiving critiques from professors and peers was perceived to be the most inuential element in helping them to understand the process of scholarly writing and in producing a better written product. More speci® cally, these students believed that two factors integral to the critiquing process were responsible for building their con® dence as academic writers: personal- ized face-to-face feedback; and the iterative or ongoing nature of the critiques they received. In addition, these students emphasized that although the critiquing process was powerful and useful, it was also highly emotional and at times frustrating. The ® ndings suggest that, in teaching scholarly writing, instructors should be very clear about the purposes and bene® ts of a strong and sustained critiquing process, and assist students in learning how to both receive and give useful feedback.
The purpose of this article is to explain the concepts of Writing Across the Curriculum, Writing in the Disciplines, and Writing to Learn, and to describe the incorporation of advanced writing into a baccalaureate nursing program and provide suggestions for accessing resources and promoting success. The goals of incorporating Writing Across the Curriculum, Writing in the Disciplines, and Writing to Learn concepts into nursing curriculum are to assist nursing students to achieve competence in clinically relevant writing assignments; to demonstrate critical thinking and communication skills, both oral and written; to execute useful literature searches; to read and understand research reports; and to encourage the incorporation of evidence into clinical practice. With a strong and established writing foundation, nursing students will be more successful in written and oral communication during their nursing program and throughout their nursing career.
Publication rates are a vital measure of individual and institutional performance, yet many nurse academics publish rarely or not at all. Despite widespread acceptance of the need to increase academic publication rates and the pressure university faculty may experience to fulfil this obligation, little is known about the effectiveness of practical strategies to support academic writing. In this small cohort study (n=8) comprising nurses and other professionals involved in university education, a questionnaire survey was used to evaluate the effectiveness of a one-week "Writing for Publication" course combined with a monthly writers support group to increase publication rates. Two year pre and post submissions increased from 9 to 33 articles in peer-reviewed journals. Publications (in print) per person increased from a baseline of 0.5-1.2 per year. Participants reported increased writing confidence and greater satisfaction with the publishing process. Peer support and receiving recognition and encouragement from line managers were also cited as incentives to publish. Writing for publication is a skill that can be learned. The evaluated model of a formal writing course, followed by informal monthly group support meetings, can effectively increase publication rates.
To investigate the academic writing experiences of a group of preregistration nursing students. To explore issues surrounding how academic writing skills were developed, integrated and received into the student's educational programme and how these skills impacted on various aspects of their educational and clinical experience.
The development of an academic writing style is seen to be an integral skill that the student must be willing to learn and undertake within higher education settings. Academic styles of writing have been imported into nursing education as a consequence of its integration into higher education. I wanted to investigate the experiences of learning an academic style of writing for students early on in their nursing career. There is little, if any, research that seeks to investigate or measure these experiences of nursing students.
A phenomenological approach to investigate the academic writing experiences of a group of preregistration students.
There is an expectation that preregistration students will quickly acquire academic writing skills when most will have had little or no prior experience. There appeared to have been little emphasis placed on facilitating the development of these skills in the educational programme. The lack of emphasis and support proved to be problematical for these nursing students. The emergence of a theory-practice divide also figured strongly. Students were, however, able to appreciate the need and place for academic writing skills and most were able to identify the structural processes that were integral to acquiring such skills.
A plethora of anecdotal evidence, supported by the findings in this study, suggests that most nursing students' struggle with the demands placed upon them when writing academic assignments. The need for greater emphasis and support throughout the whole period of training are highlighted in the findings of this study. It is known that nursing loses large numbers of its students to the academic rigors of its educational programmes. Where this is the case, the findings of this study support the need for nurse educationalists and curriculum planners to revise and reform the way that they approach and deliver the demands of an academic style of writing with their students.
Student peer review has proven an effective technique for improving student writing in both English and business communication classes, yet the technique is not widely used in business courses other than business communication. In this article, the author discusses using student peer review in business classes to improve students' final written submissions. In doing so, the author discusses the definition of peer review, the benefits of peer review, the reasons peer review helps improve student writing, the common peer review methods, the ways to incorporate peer review into business courses, and the disadvantages of peer review. Samples of different types of peer review are also included.
The instructional model presented is based upon the premise that abstracts and critiques are initial stages of scholarly writing. The pedagogy described is grounded in principles of effective lesson planning, instruction, and evaluation techniques. Step 1: 'Laying the Foundation' describes how to teach students the difference between 'good term paper' writing and scholarly writing. Step 2: 'Communicating Expectations and Evaluation Criteria' presents the content and use of guidelines and rubric. Step 3: 'Scaffolding for Success' outlines the use of journals, peer review, specific instruction, and resources. Initial students' success and positive feedback suggest that this instructional model has merit.
Nursing faculty at a private, medium-sized university noted that students in their online Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing, hybrid Master of Science in Nursing, and online Doctor of Nursing Practice programs displayed varying scholarly writing abilities.
This article proposes an evidence-based comprehensive support framework, or scaffold that can be used in nursing education to facilitate the development of scholarly writing abilities in students.
The writing scaffold is recommended for use by nursing faculty to facilitate the development of scholarly writing abilities within nursing, across nursing program levels, and across disciplines.
This paper reports a study which evaluated a brief, embedded academic support workshop as a strategy for improving academic writing skills in first-year nursing students with low-to-medium English language proficiency.
Nursing students who speak English as a second language have lower academic success compared with their native English-speaking counterparts. The development of academic writing skills is known to be most effective when embedded into discipline-specific curricula.
Using a randomized controlled design, in 2008 106 students pre-enrolled in an introductory bioscience subject were randomized to receive either the intervention, a 4-day embedded academic learning support workshop facilitated by two bioscience (content) nursing academics and a writing and editing professional, or to act as the control group. The primary focus of the workshop was to support students to work through a mock assignment by providing progressive feedback and written suggestions on how to improve their answers.
Of the 59 students randomized to the intervention, only 28 attended the workshop. Bioscience assignment results were analysed for those who attended (attendees), those randomized to the intervention but who did not attend (non-attendees), and the control group. Using anova, the results indicated that attendees achieved statistically significantly higher mean scores (70.8, sd: 6.1) compared to both control group (58.4, sd: 3.4, P = 0.002) and non-attendees (48.5, sd: 5.5, P = 0.001).
A brief, intensive, embedded academic support workshop was effective in improving the academic writing ability of nursing students with low-to-medium English language proficiency, although reaching all students who are likely to benefit from this intervention remains a challenge.
The ability to clearly express complex ideas in writing is necessary for nurses in professional practice at all levels from novice to expert. The community health nursing course is specially designated as writing intensive to provide students with the experience of preparing a major scholarly paper. To address issues of poor paper quality and grade inflation we implemented a program including a writing workshop for faculty, a revision of the grading rubric, and a system of blind review for grading student papers. Changes resulted in a major shift in paper grades which more closely reflects the actual quality of the work.
Nursing education's challenge in the new millennium is to prepare all nurses as scholars. With many nurse educators feeling like impostors when it comes to scholarship, this is no small task. Turning the millenial challenge into an opportunity, this article describes how a collaborative faculty development initiative is turning a National League for Nursing Center of Excellence school's "scholar-impostors" into teacher-scholars. This Teacher-Scholar Project will interest those in teaching intensive schools of nursing or in teaching tracks in research-intensive institutions.
Many contemporary scholars have challenged the current culture of graduate education and have suggested a need to reform nursing scholarship. The purpose of this study was to describe and analyse the common practices and shared lived experiences of nurses who are students or teachers in doctoral education. Participants recruited from across the United States included 15 nurses, five of whom were current faculty members in doctoral programmes in nursing and 10 who were currently enrolled as students in doctoral programmes. Data collected from extended, non-structured interviews were analysed hermeneutically using the interpretive phenomenology of Heidegger and Gadamer as the philosophical background. The results of this study reveal that the practices of scholarship, reading, writing, thinking and dialogue are inseparable and belong together. Analysing and describing how the practices of scholarship belong together will contribute to extending an understanding of how the practices of writing can be preserved in contemporary doctoral education. 'Preserving' refers to how teachers and students perpetuate and sustain these practices in ways that are meaningful and transformative and in ways that are oppressive. This study explores the experiences that are central to becoming a scholar and suggests how their meaningfulness can be sustained and extended into the next millennium.
Hermeneutic Phenomenological Research: A Practice Guide for Nurse Researchers. Sage, Thousand Oaks Collaboration for teaching innovation: writing across the curriculum in a school of nursing
- M A Cohen
- D L Kahn
- R H Steeves
Cohen, M.A., Kahn, D.L., Steeves, R.H., 2000. Hermeneutic Phenomenological Research: A Practice Guide for Nurse Researchers. Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA. Cowles, K.V., Strickland, D., Rodgers, B.L., 2001. Collaboration for teaching innovation: writing across the curriculum in a school of nursing. Journal of Nursing Education 40 (8), 363–367.
Nursing Research: Generating and Assessing Evidence for Nursing Practice
- D F Polit
- C T Beck
Polit, D.F., Beck, C.T., 2008. Nursing Research: Generating and Assessing Evidence for Nursing Practice, Eight ed. Lippincott, Williams, & Wilkins, Philadelphia, PA.