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Introduction This study is concerned with improving the nursing education curriculum. The purpose of the study was to 1. Review the basic principles of curriculum development. 2. Determine opinion about current nursing curriculums from recent nursing school graduates. Methods of the study A questionnaire was distributed to 250 nurses, in f general hospitals in Seoul. The nurses were graduated from nursing schools in 1973, but represented all types of nursing programs. The Questionnaire was designed to illicit responses about nursing school curriculums in 5 areas: 1. Establishment of objectives 2. Selection of learning experience 3. Organization of learning experience 4. Instruction 5. Evaluation Summary of the major findings 1. Establishment of objectives Thirty nine point three percent of the nurses said that the first objective of the general nursing education was stated ″to educate a nurse as a human being with humanity:″ Ninety point eight percent of the total respondents said that thor knew the objectives of the curriculum of their nursing schools, but more half of them (58.3%) understood the objectives vaguely at the time they attended nursing school. 2. Selection of learning experience Thirty nine point eight percent of the respondents said their curriculum contained ″only a few″ liberal arts courses. 3. Organization of learning experience forty seven point six percent. of the respondents were reported that the number of course hours was ″insufficient″ in liberal arts courses. Fifty seven point three percent of the nurses felt there was an overemphasis on any special topic in liberal arts courses. 4. Instruction Methods of instruction were as follows: Liberal arts courses-a. lecture which centered on explanation (61.1%), b. lecture which centered on writing (43.7%) Supporting nursing courses-a. lecture which centered on explanation (34.0%). b. laboratory Practice (37.8%) Clinical nursing courses-a. lecture which centered on writing (33.0%), b. clinical practice (38.4%) The percentage of respondents replying that various equipment for the learning activities were ″insufficient″were as follows: Liberal arts courses-51.0% Supporting nursing courses-28.6% Clinical nursing courses-37.9% 5. Evaluation In the liberal arts courses, 30.6% o( the respondents answered that the evaluation of records was in their opinion ″poor, ″ and 28.2% of the respondents reported that the method of evaluation was ″unfair and discouraging. ″ ″Development of a systematic theory of nursing″ was thought to be essential for curriculum improvement. The respondents felt that the junior year was the hardest because 1. Number of subjects was too great (28.1%) 2. Lack of a systematic theory of nursing (14.5%) 3. Conflict due to the difference between nursing theory and nursing practice (21.4%) Recommendations 1. Since this study was limited to nurses who had graduated in 1973, a larger study involving professors, graduate students, and nurses from a wider area is suggested in order to establish the reliability and validity of the present findings. 2. Nursing research should be carried out more actively in order to develope nursing science. 3. A permanent organization for research into ways to improve the curriculum should be established in each nursing school.
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