<p>Assessment of Search Strategies in Literature-Review-Based Candidate Theses Within a Nursing Program</p>

Abstract

Point your SmartPhone at the code above. If you have a QR code reader the video abstract will appear. Or use: https://youtu.be/iiDTvayaYHU Background: The majority of candidate theses in baccalaureate nursing programs in Sweden are written as literature studies. Being able to carry out a systematic and structured literature search is an essential part of thesis-related work. Aim: The aim of the current study was to investigate changes in nursing students' search strategies in candidate theses. Methods: A retrospective, quantitative study design was obtained. Librarians (n = 2) and teachers (n = 4) randomly examined selected candidate theses (every third thesis, n = 89) from the years 2012, 2014, and 2016. Results: The result showed a significant improvement over the years (from 2012 and 2014 to 2016) regarding the use of a sufficient number of synonyms, matching search terms to the respective database, use of the Boolean operator OR, and the use of subject headings and free text searches. Use of the title/abstract search largely disappeared. There was a significant change in the types of searches being done. The searches have become more structured in later years as the use of block searches increased significantly; in other words, more systematic and relevant searches have been done in recent years. Conclusion: The result of this study shows that the quality of the students' search strategies improved significantly during the studied years. It is recommended that search documents are used in both formative and summative assessments to evaluate students' search strategies. Educational development in the form of enhanced collaboration between librarians and teachers in nursing programs is recommended because it might help to develop student search strategies in literature-based candidate theses.

– The IAFOR Conference on Educational Research and Innovation: 2022 Official Conference Proceedings

“…Asada and Koike (2020) (Jiang & Yan, 2020), and includes specific suggestions for how supervisors can provide support effectively, particularly through the teaching of literature review (Herrström, Larsson, Einberg, Nilsson, Blomqvist, & Garmy, 2020;Suwito, Purwanto, Parta, Irawati, & Dika, 2019) and through understanding each of their students' uniqueness in educational background, interests, and abilities (Arif & Huda, 2019;Zhang & Pramoolsook, 2019). Additionally, at a broader level, past research suggests the importance of each institution's stakeholders being aware of how the curriculum and coordination among the administrators, faculty and staff influences the students' quality of their graduation theses (Herrström, Larsson, Einberg, Nilsson, Blomqvist, & Garmy, 2020;Kalpokaite and Radivojevic, 2020;Perrella, Dam, Martin, MacLachlan, & Fenton, 2020;Rosyidi, Budiningsih, & Wakhid, 2019;Sun, Graves, & Oliver, 2020). Finally, research related to graduation thesis writing of students and supervisors abroad suggest that weaknesses in graduation theses of graduate students may be ameliorated if students build a solid academic foundation in their undergraduate programs (Ebadi & Pourahimadi, 2019;Farahian, Parhamnia, & Avarzamani, 2020;Ravari & Kok, 2019;Shahsavar & Kourepaz, 2020).…”

“…Specifically, the researchers note that the following components integrated into teaching to make proposals can help students overcome obstacles: (1) recognizing the concept of the research journal at hand, (2) obtaining sources that are reputable and up to date, (3) facilitating guided discussion on the journal's results, and (4) facilitating the formulation of research ideas. Herrström, Larsson, Einberg, Nilsson, Blomqvist, and Garmy (2020) recommends that search documents are used in both formative and summative assessments to evaluate students' search strategies. Synthesizing the ideas from Suwito, Purwanto, Parta, Irawati, and Dika (2019) and Herrström, Larsson, Einberg, Nilsson, Blomqvist, and Garmy (2020), for instance, it is reasonable for faculty members supervising undergraduate students to make part of their grading students' notes and contribution to discussion, if supervisors are assigned an undergraduate thesis writing course at their institution.…”

“…Herrström, Larsson, Einberg, Nilsson, Blomqvist, and Garmy (2020) recommends that search documents are used in both formative and summative assessments to evaluate students' search strategies. Synthesizing the ideas from Suwito, Purwanto, Parta, Irawati, and Dika (2019) and Herrström, Larsson, Einberg, Nilsson, Blomqvist, and Garmy (2020), for instance, it is reasonable for faculty members supervising undergraduate students to make part of their grading students' notes and contribution to discussion, if supervisors are assigned an undergraduate thesis writing course at their institution. It would also be reasonable for faculty members to consider arranging time with the institution's librarian to assist students with conducting their search.…”

“…For experiences related to graduation thesis writing in Japan, (1) specific amount of time spent on writing graduation theses are stated (Kushimoto, 2019); ( 2) collaborative style by faculty members in getting students connected with outside sources of support such as incorporating fieldwork abroad and teacher training sessions as part of obtaining teachers' licenses into their students' theses are evident (Asada & Koike, 2020;Nagura, 2018); (3) the importance of supervisor feedback particularly in terms of getting students to think critically is emphasized (Nagura, 2018); and (4) the importance of having conducted a thorough literature review for students' undergraduate theses are emphasized (Nagura, 2018). As for experiences related to graduation thesis writing abroad, (1) 2) the importance of supervisors' support, specifically in terms of taking the time to provide feedback for the students on their papers to build a strong academic foundation is emphasized (Jiang & Yan, 2020); (3) the importance of supervisors' support, especially in terms of helping students to conduct literature reviews well is emphasized (Herrström, Larsson, Einberg, Nilsson, Blomqvist, & Garmy, 2020;Suwito, Purwanto, Parta, Irawati, & Dika, 2019); fourth, the importance of supervisors' support through understanding each of their students uniqueness in educational background, interests, and academic abilities is emphasized (Arif & Huda, 2019;Zhang & Pramoolsook, 2019); fifth, the importance of each institution's stakeholders not limited to supervisors, to be aware of how the curriculum and coordination among the administrators, faculty, and staff influences the students' graduation theses quality is emphasized (Herrström, Larsson, Einberg, Nilsson, Blomqvist, & Garmy, 2020;Kalpokaite & Radivojevic, 2020;Perrella, Dam, Martin, MacLachlan, & Fenton, 2020;Rosyidi, Budiningsih, & Wakhid, 2019;Sun, Graves, & Oliver, 2020); and sixth, current research suggests that weaknesses in graduation theses of graduate students may be ameliorated if students had built a solid academic foundation during their undergraduate years (Ebadi & Pourahimadi, 2019;Farahian, Parhamnia, & Avarzamani, 2020;Ravari & Kok, 2019;Shahsavar & Kourepaz, 2020).…”