The Relationship between Course Experience and Deliberate Practice Study Approach among Nursing Students

Introduction: Approaches to studying include explicit and implicit thoughts and behaviors which could be modified by educational interventions. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between course experience and deliberate practice study approach among nursing students in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. Methods: This descriptive-correlational study was performed on all the third, fifth and seventh semester undergraduate nursing students of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in 2013-14 academic years. The participants (n=187) were selected through convenient sampling. Data collection tools were Course Experience questionnaire and Deliberate Practice Study Approach questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics (correlation coefficients, ANOVA, and linear regression analysis). Results: Ultimately, 123 questionnaires were analyzed. The mean score of course experience was 122.29±26.02 (out of 180), and the mean score of deliberate practice study approach was 89.74±17.18 (out of 125). There was a significant correlation between course experience and deliberate practice study approach (p=0.001, r=0.95). The multiple regression analysis also showed that among predictive components (course experience and its components), only the independent component could appropriately predict deliberate practice study approach (P=0.001). Conclusion: According to the correlation between course experience and use of deliberate practice study approach, it is suggested that nursing teachers and planners pay special attention to this issue.