Title: Conceptual analysis and exploration of self-management in the teaching and learning context of nursing students in Ghana
Abstract:
Background: As students enter tertiary education, they move away from parental control and the support of the secondary school system, taking responsibility for themselves and their academic performance. In nursing colleges, students face the challenge of integrating the theoretical class-based and their clinical knowledge and skills to successfully complete their studies. Mastering self-management skills in the teaching and learning context is considered an important task for nursing students. While many studies have examined concepts like academic self-efficacy, self-directed learning, and academic self-regulation, research has yet to conceptualise self-management specifically within nursing education and develop theoretical statements to support it.
Aim: To analyse the concept of self-management and explore its realisation in the teaching and learning context amongst Ghanaian General Nursing diploma students, in order to contribute to the development of self-management theory in the context of nursing education.
Methods: A multi-method approach was employed, conducted in four phases: a concept analysis was conducted that analysed self-management in 33 scientific articles (12 on teaching and learning and 21 on healthcare). Phases two and three used interpretive phenomenology to explore the perspectives of 17 nursing students and eight nurse educators on self-management in four nursing colleges in Ghana's Ashanti region. In the fourth phase, theoretical statements were inferred from the concept analysis and the in-context realisation of self-management to contribute to theory building and validated using Fawcett’s (2005) criteria. The study was approved by the Health Research Ethics Committee, Stellenbosch University and the Committee on Human Research and Publication Ethics (CHRPE), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). Permissions from the principals of the four selected nursing training colleges were also sought.
Findings: Phase one identified nine defining attributes, six antecedents and three consequences of self- management. In phases two and three, four main themes emerged regarding self-management in the Ghanaian educational context. Three antecedents and three consequences were identified. Positive self- management led to academic growth, achievement, and recognition, while negative behaviours resulted in poor academic performance. The final phase integrated these findings into ten interrelated attributes, categorised as attitudinal and behavioural. Two personal and three environmental antecedents were identified. Consequences were grouped into positive and negative categories. These findings were used to generate definitions and develop five theoretical statements to contribute to theory building and serve as a guide for future self- management in teaching and learning initiatives for nursing students in Ghana, including the stakeholders who manage the institutions.
Conclusion: The study provided evidence-based statements indicating that effective self-management in teaching and learning leads to academic success among nursing students, while poor self-management results in subpar performance. This study clarifies the concept of self-management, contributing to the development of a theory in the context of nursing education. The theoretical statements generated can guide curriculum developers, planners, and policymakers in structuring nursing programs to foster self- management skills.
