EFFECT OF CLINICAL VIRTUAL SIMULATION ON SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING ABILITY AND KNOWLEDGE RETENTION AMONG NURSING STUDENTS IN CHINA

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Abstract
Background Clinical Virtual Simulation (CVS) is a relatively new teaching approach in nursing education. However, in-depth longitudinal research on learning ability and knowledge retention is lacking. This study aims to identify the effect of CVS on self-directed learning ability and knowledge retention among nursing students in China. This work is a quasi-experimental study that was conducted in two months. Sophomore nursing students from Xi’an Fanyi University were divided into two groups: The control group (n = 43), in which the traditional teaching method was used and the experimental group (n = 41), in which a combination of traditional teaching and CVS was employed. The students in the control group attended a theoretical course, followed by clinical practice courses, and received practice guidance in a laboratory. The students in the experimental group attended a theoretical course, learned and practised the simulation project on a virtual simulation platform, then, attended clinical practice courses and received practice guidance in a laboratory. The research duration was one month. The knowledge retention of the students was assessed immediately, two weeks and one month after the intervention using a multiple-choice test. The self-rating scale of self-directed learning ability was used to determine the self-directed learning ability of the students. Statistically significant improvements were observed in the knowledge retention and self-directed learning ability (p < 0.05) of the students in the experimental group compared with those in the control group. It is concluded that the application of CVS can enhance the memory and retention of theoretical knowledge and improve the self-directed learning ability of nursing students