The Impact of Student-Centered Learning on NCLEX-RN® Success

Abstract

In the complex and ever-evolving field of nursing, contemporary nurses must be capable of making customized decisions in rapidly changing situations. In order for nurses to be effective and to provide high quality, safe care, they must be able to utilize clinical reasoning to discern the importance of ongoing changes in patient status, (Benner, Sutphen, Leonard, & Day, 2010). Traditional teaching methods may not be appropriate to adequately prepare registered nurses for the level of clinical reasoning skill needed in today’s complex health care environment. The National Council Licensure Examination – Registered Nurse (NCLEX-RN®) indirectly measures clinical reasoning skills. This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project retrospectively analyzed NCLEX-RN® success rates, before and after the intervention of student-centered learning was employed in the associate degree nursing program. Student-centered learning is a strategy in which the faculty serves as a facilitator, and the students are actively engaged in learning through various activities (Weimar, 2013). Student-centered strategies result in deeper learning (Carrick, 2011). This deeper learning is important for the development of appropriate clinical reasoning skills. Chi-square analysis was performed to compare the distribution of differences between the data. This project adds to the body of knowledge related to effective teaching/ learning strategies for prelicensure registered nursing students.

Keywords: student-centered learning, flipped classroom, active learning, NCLEX-RN® success