| Summary: | Research has shown that, worldwide the nursing profession is faced with image-related
challenges impacting on its status, prestige, power and the ability to attract more young
and suitably qualified students to nursing. There is adequate evidence of a link between
the image of nursing and the number of young people entering and leaving the
profession. A positive image of nursing attracts applicants and the intention to leave
nursing correlates positively with holding a negative image of nursing. There is also
evidence of poor perception of the image of nursing among student nurses.
The study aimed at exploring the potential of appreciative inquiry (AI) as a teaching
strategy to transform the image of nursing among 3rd and 4th year, college and
university student nurses in the Gauteng province of South Africa. The second aim was
to describe student nurses’ experiences regarding their participation in the process of
AI.
A qualitatively dominant, sequentially embedded, mixed methods design with
explorative-descriptive and quasi-experimental features was utilised. Sequential data
collection and analysis were conducted during five stages comprising: a pre-test survey,
intervention (appreciative inquiry), a post-test, description of the experiences of student
nurses of AI and an integration stage.
The pre-test results showed more positive than negative perceptions of the image of
nursing among student nurses. The negative perceptions of the image of nursing
among student nurses that needed intervention included the working conditions of
nurses and the perception of nursing as a profession that was not respected and
appreciated. The student nurses who took part in appreciative inquiry showed a
significant and positive change in their perception of the image of nursing as a
respected and appreciated profession. From the individual interviews on the student
nurses’ experiences of AI, the themes “experience of positive emotions” and
“experiential learning” emerged. The student nurses experiences described their
engagement in AI as a positive and enjoyable experience from which multidimensional
learning resulted. === Health Studies === Ph. D. (Health Studies)
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