Innovative Strategies to Enhance Knowledge Acquisition towards Improving Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) Education

Nurse educators around the world are trying to provide ways for students to connect theory with clinical practice. This article will provide insight into learning mastery, critical thinking, and peer-reviewed articles to identify innovative ideas to improve knowledge acquisition. Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is a subject that will be addressed. Due to the fact that IPV is a widespread public health concern and nursing students missing important cues relating to IPV education. Nursing students lack education recognizing risk factors and symptoms of IPV [1]. There is a need by nurse educators to focus on learning outcomes to better prepare nursing students with innovative ideas. Nursing programs are exposed to a variety of barriers in the provision of new strategies to aid student to integrate classroom knowledge to clinical practice two ways to do that is to examine an innovative approach through simulation gaming and story-telling.

To conduct this literature review, the author searched the EBSCO, ProQuest, and Sage databases for scholarly and relevant research based on empirical research in the field of digital nursing education, and competence improvement focused on the application of simulation game and story-telling as instructional methods for enlightening Intimate Partner Violence (IPV). The literature will review two methods; simulation board game and story-telling in nursing education while offering the difference between the two concepts. Primarily, the author chose literature based on publication years 2007-2018 and studies conducted in the United States. Key search terms included simulation, high-fidelity simulation, clinical success, self-efficacy, self-esteem, practical skill, critical thinking, cognitive competencies, motivation, and cooperative learning.

Learning needs significant open-mindedness and creativity to become appealing and maintain students’ interests. Most of the health professional operations involve teamwork, though a substantial section of the educational experience by nurses still includes self-regulated learning processes especially with the increased use of electronic support in education [2,3]. The digital competence concept in this review is extensively defined as knowledge, skills, attitude, and creativity required by every student to apply various educational methodology. To use the modern environment effectively, learners need not only digital services, but also motoric cognitive, emotional, and sociological skills. The aim of any educational intervention, whether it is health-related decision-making, simulated-based scenario, and focused skills or teamwork activity, is to enhance the understanding and scope of education. Both simulated board games and storytelling have established themselves as extensive and polymorphous study orientation within the social science. The most diverse political, institutional, conversational and organizational information are presently collected and investigated, yet the variation between the two methods remains unclear with tensions.

Studies indicate that more than 10 million Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) events take place per year in U.S., where 1 in every 7 men or 5 women face physical aggression [4]. Nearly 38% of female violent-related death are done by their spouses [1]. A large number of abused women are always passive, over-dependent, and submissive to their partners. Such people have experienced IPV advances in their previous encounters causing deteriorated self-esteem, depression, and fears towards their supportive partners. World Health Organization pointed some of the risk factors for violent relationship including substance misuse, mental health issues, socioeconomic factors, and poor family relationship [5]. Nursing education strives to offer an opportunity in which learners can understand ways to deal with such IPV situation in the society.

The experimental development program involves the comparison of the impact of institutional and gaming simulation and other pedagogy tool kits such as storytelling in providing IPV education. A sample of nursing students were selected and subjected to different workshops on intimate partner violence using the different education tool kits. The results from the workshops were determined by perceptions and perceived capabilities of the students as well as the reported case management from the two programs. Also self-assessment questionnaires were used to identify the intervention barriers from the two study programs.

Most scholars supplement the inherent understanding of story-telling by articulating particular factors that identify the method as a communication format. Narratives often follow a certain structure that defines the origin and impact connections between events that occur within a particular time-frame [6]. Health education and communication explore the potential benefits of story-telling to improve learning and persuade students towards healthy choices. A study by Hellings et al., examined the impacts of narratives on opinions of particular health subjects such as vaccinations and anticoagulant medication [7]. Though taking a wide view to prove the theoretical inclusion of stories within health education, the meta-analysis of health-related research noted mixed outcomes on the overall narrative influence. However, the lack of reliable conceptualization of story-telling intricate generalization, the use of more narrative contexts continues to surface despite the complexities [8].

Story-telling cognition is considered to signify the elusive mode of human perception, offering structure to facts and acting as the basis for thoughts, since it is associated with ease of comprehension, increase memorability, and minimized reading. Many studies have been conducted on how story-telling may enhance the traditional methods of teaching science. For instance, Guhde J explores four main subjects of story-telling that could develop acquisition of knowledge on science in comparison to traditional syllabi such as fictionalization, personalization, and dramatization [9]. The research describes ways in which educational elements and narratives are processed when used in science education services. It was found that educational component that is more central to a story’s plot need reduced intellectual materials for comprehension and results in improved learning.

Simulation refers to a teaching and learning method that is applied in nursing education to organize understudies for the medical workplace. This strategy has developed into a complex and innovative approach that involves various continuums of educational fields, as science and technology advances. It involves human patient simulation, skill-based and role play training, and computer games. Simulation is highly collaborative, facilitating multiple educational objectives in realistic study setting while reflecting on the clinical environment [10]. Studies on the current perception on the use of simulation board games in health care education confirm the application of taxonomy of games driven by educational objectives. Simulation games are widely utilized in improving learning and facilitating care in occupational and health sectors especially in rehabilitation and physical therapy [11]. Furthermore, many scholars have proven that using games as learning and teaching tool for clinical education has diverse advantages; and that application of innovative educational strategies have been greatly successful.

Dreifuerst KT was examined the value of the benefit of simulation as a method for improving IPV education among nursing students [12]. The qualitative survey method used in the study reported that the method was beneficial; greater fulfillment was attained compared to normal lectures as the process seemed pleasurable and realistic. Students who participated in simulation games have high confident levels and satisfaction, especially in team performance. The utilization of debriefing promotes the teachers’ capacity to evaluate learning requirements and tiny performance gaps in different situations.

Galloway SJ carried out a quasi-experimental research planned to assess the influence of gaming on compassionate communication methods used by nursing students [13]. The findings indicated that games had presented short-term but optimistic effects on learners who participated in the game. Another randomized experimental research by Stanley and Latimer focused on examining whether gaming could assist in motivating learners to acquire nursing concepts and gain insight on making informed choices when handling ethical issues [14]. In this study, a board game was used and assessed against participants who never took part in the game [14]. It was noted that the game playing learners possessed more ability to master class content compared to those in the control group. Moreover, students who played the games constructed that the strategy was entertaining and inspiring; hence, promoting their capability to reinforce their education process. The study concluded that board games can boost critical thinking and create an enjoyable learning environment for teachers and students.

The data acquired from the comparative experiment demonstrates importance of gaming and instructional simulations in nursing education. While storytelling is also important, student who went through the simulation programs scored higher in the perspective assessment tests compared to those who went through the storytelling programs. The self-assessment questionnaires also indicated that gaming simulation provides an effective ways to cognitive and social capacities with regards to reduction of IPV. 

Empirical researchers support categorical variations between story-telling process and the use of simulation board game. Narratives are associated with improved memory, short reading time, and fast comprehension through the provision of specific scenarios from which students can refer to the definition of the general facts [4]. This type of communication aims at offering reality that maintains its validity across a given array of situations; thus a person may utilize the information to cut down to a specific scenario and give a certain degree of predictive influence. Being a context-free method, it involves the insight of the fact, which retains their picture from available units of data. Storytelling can also be context-reliant because it comprises of the continuous cause-and-impact structure of the chronological occasions. Most studies show that learners who attend storytelling class-section often demonstrate a greater passion for assisting patients and colleagues in completing their duties. Simulation, on the other hand, allows learners to establish their decision-making and critical thinking skills in a supportive and secure nursing practice setting [14]. It aims at evaluating performance by students on their ability to demonstrate accurate patient examination as well as making quick decisions on matters affecting patients [15].

According to Shinnick et al., both simulation and narratives are a presentation of the reality in a nursing environment, which are organized to validate procedure and critical thinking skills using techniques [16]. Onge et al., conducted a controlled experimental research with randomly selected participants to determine the effects of gaming on promoting nursing education [6]. The study involves a comparison of simulation games against traditional teaching methods. A significant different was identified in the study; more student’s enthusiasm, motivation, and interest regarding nursing concepts were improved in the group utilizing simulation than traditional approaches. While storytelling gives a reasonable prediction of personal experience and legitimate information that allows it to be arbitrated on the credibility of events, simulation games provide the overall truth whose legitimacy depend on the accuracy of its claims. Narratives are persuasive and follow the inductive reasoning, whereas simulation information often follows logical perceptive.