Enhancing Clinical Teaching Effectiveness by Implementing Nurse Faculty Development About Emotional Intelligence

Friday, March 27, 2020: 8:30 AM

Emily Davis, DNP, RN
School of Nursing, Indiana University (IUPUI), Indianapolis, IN, USA
Rosie Taylor-Lewis, DNP, ANP-BC, GNP
South University, Savannah, GA, USA

Purpose: The purpose of the scholarly project was to evaluate the impact of emotional intelligence (EI) training on a nurse educator’s teaching effectiveness in the clinical learning environment. Emotional intelligence may heighten a faculty member’s sense of self-awareness, unite learning in the cognitive, psychomotor, and affective domains, and cultivate holistic practice (Ondrejka, 2013; Mosca, 2017). While nursing practice involves working in an emotional and unpredictable environment, there has been minimal attention by educational institutions and employers on advancing a teachers’ socio-emotional competence (Omid, Haghani, & Abidi, 2016; Leonard, 2015). Nurse educators are the foundational role models for the next generation of nurses, and emotional intelligence training may improve the effectiveness of that foundational instruction.

Methods: A quantitative approach consisting of a pre and post-survey. The Schutte Emotional Intelligence Scale (SSREIT) and the Nursing Clinical Teacher Effectiveness Inventory (NCTEI), along with three demographic questions were utilized. The SSREIT tool determines characteristic emotional intelligence, while the NCTEI examines 5 domains of clinical teaching effectiveness: teaching ability, nursing competence, evaluation, interpersonal relations, and personality. Schutte et al. (1998) reported an internal consistency in the original study of the SSREIT yielding a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.90, and a two-week test-retest reliability of 0.78. The NCTEI instrument was internally consistent (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.79 - 0.92) and was stable over time with test-retest scores at 4-week intervals (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.76 to 0.93) (Knox & Mogan, 1987). The participants were asked to rate themselves based on their last clinical teaching experience. The faculty members were provided an educational webinar based on the book, Teaching with Emotional Intelligence: A Step-by-Step Guide for Higher and Further Education Professionals (Mortiboys, 2013). The webinar provided the history of EI, relevant literary support, practice questions and various scenarios.

Results: Collective nursing faculty trait-EI levels and clinical teaching effectiveness scores improved. Multiple regression models were utilized to examine the correlations between the SSREIT scores and the different domains of the NCTEI. A statistically significant result from the Pre-EI scores compared to the Nursing Competence domain showed a statistically significant result of p = 0.04. Overall, we reject the null hypothesis and conclude that a significant difference does exist.

Conclusion: The project suggested that nursing faculty could benefit from emotional intelligence training, to encourage affective domain growth in the clinical learning environment, improve role modeling, and advance the development of well-rounded and holistic future nurses.

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