This study was designed to investigate the role of nurse educators' beliefs and self-perception in their use of Learner-Centered Teaching in the nursing education classroom. A sample of 122 nurse educators completed an online questionnaire that explored self-perception, beliefs and the correlation with their use of behaviors indicative of Learner-Centered Teaching. Findings demonstrated that nurse educators who identify themselves as learner-centered are more likely to use Learner-Centered Teaching in their classrooms, and nurse educators who strongly believe learner-centered teaching is beneficial in understanding and applying nursing concepts are also somewhat more likely to use Learner-Centered Teaching in the classroom. The results of this study produced a picture of the role of self-perception and beliefs about Learner-Centered Teaching, and the influence this may have on actual utilization of Learner-Centered Teaching. It is clear that valuing Learner-Centered Teaching and believing in its efficacy are only part of the answer to convincing nurse educators to widely adopt this teaching framework.
Keywords: Active learning; Learner-centered teaching; Nursing education; Teaching beliefs.
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