Development of a digital storytelling resource to support children’s nursing students in neonatal care

Abstract

A digital storytelling resource focusing on the experience of nursing in neonatal care was developed using the narratives of six undergraduate children's nursing students who had undergone a practice placement on a neonatal unit. An evaluation of the resource in relation to its contribution to learning for students in a new, specialised area of practice revealed that storytelling based on peers' experiences is a valuable and insightful approach to learning. This is particularly important in a specialty such as neonatal care where the unfamiliarity of the environment and patient group can cause anxiety and uncertainty among students. Overall, the resource was seen to be useful to children's nursing students who are preparing for a practice placement in an unfamiliar clinical area.

The Street: Enhancing self-confidence and activities of daily living assessment experience in nursing students through drama-based learning

“…Narrative and storytelling methods for educational purposes have been highly valued by nursing students for building selfconfidence (Urstad, 2018;Waugh & Donaldson, 2016;Petty, 2017). However, challenges in implementing storytelling in nursing education exist, such as maintaining narrative authenticity and student engagement (Urstad et al, 2018).…”

Digital Evaluation Stories: A Case Study of Implementation for Monitoring and Evaluation in an Australian Community Not-for-Profit

“…Looking beyond evaluation to the use of participant stories in various other disciplines shows the potential of evaluation stories to promote the reflection and change in staff practice that is critical to evaluative thinking of non-evaluators and evaluation capacity building. The research literature in fields including education, health care, and social work shows the power of participant stories to promote positive change in staff behavior as a result of (1) learning by collecting the stories; (2) discussing the implications with their team, peers, and supervisors; and (3) enacting the combined and analyzed story findings for program and organizational improvement (Edwards, 2014; Moreau et al, 2018; Petty & Treves, 2017; Sunderland et al, 2021; Wu & Chen, 2020).…”

“…In addition to the opportunities presented for applying digital storytelling as a participatory data collection approach for evaluation, the method provides an opportunity for staff learning, professional development, and evaluation capacity building for organizations building M&E capability. Digital storytelling has been used extensively in education since the 1990s (Wu & Chen, 2020) and more recently in health care, social work and human services studies, and professional development (Moreau et al, 2018; Petty & Treves, 2017; Sunderland et al, 2021). Based on a systematic review of 57 studies on the educational use of digital storytelling, outcomes for learners include the following: emotional engagement, motivation, confidence, and empathy; critical and creative thinking; understanding of concepts; research skills; computer and media skills; development of language skills and mastery of story structure; increased self-awareness and awareness of other social groups; and collaboration, teamwork; and communication skills (Wu & Chen, 2020).…”

Digital Storytelling: Sharing Palliative Care Experiences as an Innovative Educational Approach

“…As part of the “digital native” generation (Chicca & Shellenbarger, 2018), current undergraduate students have a high level of experience and comfort with advanced technology and respond favorably to diverse, technologically advanced teaching strategies. It has been found that when nursing students are exposed to digital stories about a particular nursing field, they feel more prepared and less anxious about practicing in that field (Petty & Treves, 2017).…”