Enhancing humanized nursing: How contemplative education helps nurse educators achieve personal transformation and enhance their teaching practices

Abstract

This action research aimed to explore the impact of teacher development in transformative learning management employing a Contemplative Education approach in personal transformation in nurse educators and their transformation in teaching and learning. The study was conducted in four provinces of Thailand. The study adopted the “Teaching out of the Box: Transformative Teachers from Within” project for nurse educators at the Boromarajonani Colleges of Nursing, Praboromarajchanok Institute, as a case study. Purposive sampling was employed to select the target group of 24 nurse educators. From March 2021 to April 2022, data were collected using various methods and analyzed using content analysis. According to the study, nurse educators reported personal transformation in four areas: self-reflexivity, self-awareness, resilience, and deep listening. Furthermore, they incorporated Contemplative Education into classes, extracurricular activities, and patient care practices on three levels: (1) using some contemplative learning activities; (2) creating a short course for student preparation before and during internships at the hospital, and (3) integrating Contemplative Education with course content to create new activities. Contemplative Education was integrated to assist
students in understanding humanized nursing care. The findings suggest that Contemplative Education should be incorporated as a mindset and approach for effective nurse educator growth and student learning in classrooms and patient nursing care settings. It is recommended that nursing institutions should adopt Contemplative Education for teacher development, providing resources and training. They should also establish ongoing support for diverse teaching styles and adjust institutional culture and policies to ensure administrative backing and proper resource allocation.