Abstract:
Background: Nurses are the backbone of the health care system. They should possess certain skills in order to provide better care to the patient and the community. The mere classroom teaching is not enough to train them to gain enough skills in caring the patients. This leads the health care institutes to incorporate different active learning strategies to train undergraduate nurses. Thus, the carousel method is an active learning strategy where students can improve their decision-making, critical thinking, and reflection skills. It allows every student to engage in classroom activity and promotes active participation and team spirit among the students. İt helps to learn new information and review existing information while they are working with the group and moving around the classroom. Since it is a kind of collaborative learning, it promotes social interaction and communication skills of the students. Objective: To assess the students’ perception of the Carousel method of teaching at the Faculty of Health-Care Sciences (FHCS), Eastern University, Sri Lanka (EUSL) Methods: İt was a cross-sectional descriptive study. BSc Hons (Nursing) students (n=35) studying in 3rd-year 1st semester were enrolled. Only 22 students responded to the questionnaire. The students’ perceptions of the Carousel method of teaching were evaluated after the implementation of the Carousel activity in the classroom. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data online using a Google Form. The questionnaire was developed by the investigator and it included six perception statements and one open-ended question. Participants were asked to rate the statements using a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Data were analyzed using SPSS version 21.0. Descriptive statistics were computed to describe the students’ perceptions. Results: This study revealed that most of the participants felt interested in the carousel method. Ninety-one percent of the participants agreed or strongly agreed that they actively participated in the classroom. The majority (81.9%) of the participants stated that they could build a good relationship with their peers, and it helped them to improve their thinking ability (81.8%) & decision-making skills (77.3%). Ninety percent of the participants recommended the carousel method instead of the traditional teaching method. The majority of the students enjoyed the carousel activity as a new experience for them. Conclusions: Majority of the BSc Hons (Nursing) undergraduates of the sample of EUSL agreed on the carousel teaching method. BSc Hons (Nursing) undergraduates are willing to move towards active learning strategies instead of traditional teaching-learning methods. Further studies are recommended, including the effect of the carousal method on improving the aspects such as reflective skills and teamwork.
