The effect of clinical nursing instructors on student self-efficacy

Clinical practicum experiences for nursing students provides the students an opportunity to apply concepts learned in class, practice skills learned in lab, and interact with patients, families, and other nurses. Although students look forward to these experiences, they often feel intimated and anxious about them. Clinical instructors play an important role in this experience and can either help or hinder student learning and self-efficacy. Using Bandura's Social Learning Theory as foundation, this descriptive study examined the relationship between perceived instructor effectiveness and student self-efficacy. Data were collected from a BSN school of nursing at a Midwestern USA comprehensive masters university. The instruments used were the Nursing Clinical Teacher Effectiveness Inventory (NCTEI) and the student self-efficacy (SSE) questionnaire. Participants (n = 236) were from a traditional nursing program with 86% female and 14% male. Data was analyzed using Pearson's correlation and MANCOVA. Results indicated: Out of the five areas of attributes, one area showed significant (p < .01) difference between the lower and higher self-efficacy groups and with specific teacher behaviors within the Evaluation category. Students with high self-efficacy reported faculty who suggested ways to improve, identified strengths and weaknesses, observed frequently, communicated expectations, gives positive reinforcement ad corrects without belittling. This can help faculty develop behaviors that increases student learning and student self-efficacy.