This book examines how socio-cultural context affects the learning of nursing students. It builds on this to introduce a new approach for educators to effectively teach clinical skills by taking these contexts into account, whether they are in the skills laboratory, the ward or the classroom. Moving away from traditional ideas about teaching students by rote, this text draws on research findings, educational theories, and case studies to demonstrate how skills acquisition is influenced by the learner’s socio-cultural context. It utilises a social constructionist conceptual framework drawing upon the work of a series of scholars – including Benjamin Bloom, Patricia Benner, Albert Bandura and Lev Vygotsky – to examine elements essential for nursing skills development and to highlight four broad areas to focus on: environmental factors, human-related factors, cultural factors and skills learning specific factors. Dr Irene Y.F. Wong then introduces a new approach for conducting clinical nursing skills education that is sensitive to these factors and promotes more effective learning. This thoughtful book is an essential read for nursing and healthcare academics and professionals with an interest in clinical skills education.
