A framework for understanding student nurses’ experience of chemistry as part of a health science course

Abstract

Twenty-seven first-year nursing students, divided across six focus groups formed on the basis of their past chemistry experience, were interviewed about their chemistry experience as a component of a Health Science unit. Information related to learning and academic performance was able to be established from student conversations resulting in three themes (and associated categories): Connectivity (curriculum, application, and social interaction); Reductivity (nature of chemistry, exposition, and control of learning); and Reflexivity (confidence, anxiety, and goal orientation). The framework proved useful in portraying relationships between themes for conversations related to tutorial sessions, prior knowledge, and chemistry in nursing. The focus groups were representative of the total cohort of students in terms of gender, age, working hours, academic performance, enjoyment level of chemistry, and the extent of the relevance of chemistry to nursing. Implications for chemistry educators, especially those supporting novices, are considered.