Deliberate Practice for the Purpose of Psychomotor Skill Acquisition: Nursing Students and the Motivational Constraint

Abstract

Deliberate practice, a constituent of Ericsson’s theory of expertise, has been identified as a central concept in effective simulation learning. Deliberate practice is compatible with simulation frameworks already being suggested for use in nursing education. It is unknown if nursing students can successfully negotiate the constraints of deliberate practice. This study aimed to evaluate converging notions; deliberate practice in a simulated context for the purpose of psychomotor skill acquisition and nursing students’ ability to successfully negotiate the motivational constraint of deliberate practice. By comparing two groups of nursing students with academic-­‐related differences it was possible to make inferences regarding the appropriateness of deliberate practice as an effective teaching and learning method in the domain of nursing education. This study examined the difference between two groups of students; a traditional BS cohort, and MEPN cohort as it relates to a skill test score after exposure to an educational intervention utilizing deliberate practice. Additionally the relationship of academic motivation with participant’s pre-­‐objective and post-­‐objective skill test scores were of interest. A mixed methods approach was utilized. The quantitative portion of the study included a between subjects factorial design with two predictor variables, deliberate practice and program of study with random assignment to the treatment group. The qualitative portion of the study was based on open ended-­‐interviewing about the participants’ academic motivation. No statistically significant relationship was observed between students’ academic motivation and their results on a skill test. A statistically significant relationship was found between the mean skill test score of the intervention and comparison group; on average nursing students who were exposed to a deliberate practice intervention achieved a passing score (minimal competence) on a follow-­‐up skill test, while those in the comparison group did not.