Impact of Instructors' Caring on Students' Perceptions of Their Own Caring Behaviors

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study was to identify the correlation between instructors' and students' caring behaviors and to explore the impact of instructors' caring on students' perceptions of their own caring behaviors.

Design: A descriptive, nonexperimental design was used in this study.

Methods: A total of 586 student nurses from four countries (Greece, the Philippines, India, and Nigeria) were recruited to participate in this study during the months of September 2013 to January 2014. Data collection was based on interviews using two standardized questionnaires: the Nursing Students' Perception of Instructor Caring (NSPIC) and the Caring Behavior Inventory (CBI). Inferential statistics such as the Pearson r correlation and regression analysis were used to determine correlations between relevant variables.

Findings: Student nurses perceived "instills confidence through caring" (mean = 4.275, SD = 0.755) as the most frequently demonstrated subscale, while "control vs. flexibility" (mean = 3.469, SD = 0.701) was the least demonstrated subscale. The highest self-reported subscale in the CBI was "assurance" (mean = 4.796, SD = 0.949), while "connectedness" (mean = 4.541, SD = 0.985) was the lowest self-rated subscale. The NSPIC correlated significantly with the CBI (r = .587, p < .001). Four of the five subscales in the NSPIC correlated significantly with the CBI when considered individually; the exception was the "Supportive learning climate" subscale (r = .009, p < .40). Among the NSPIC subscales, "instills confidence through caring" explained 32% in the CBI and "appreciation of life's meaning" explained 3% in the CBI.

Conclusions: Instructors' caring behaviors influenced nursing students' caring behaviors positively. Through positive faculty modeling and role modeling, nursing students can be professionally trained to develop the competence of caring.

Clinical relevance: The knowledge generated from this study provides direction in developing useful and effective caring strategies and curricular programs for nursing students. Understanding this concept in a cross-cultural context is necessary in order to develop an international perspective about caring, which is necessary in developing and formulating effective teaching and clinical strategies.

Keywords: Caring; caring behavior; nursing education; nursing instructors; nursing students.