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Innovative Instructional Strategy Using Cinema Films in an Undergraduate Nursing Course

Posted on: Wednesday, 15 February 2006, 06:00 CST

By Hyde, Norlyn B; Fife, Elizabeth

Abstract: Educators can develop innovative instructional strategies to engage students within the philosophical framework of Constructivism. To that end, the authors used films - Hollywood movies - to enhance their curriculum on neurological and psychopathological illnesses. During the fourth quarter of a seven- quarter associate degree nursing program, students developed case studies of the disorders portrayed in selected films. The authors outline the methods used to implement this approach and discuss evaluations from student and faculty perspectives.

Key Words: innovative instructional strategy, films, neurological illness, psychopathological illness, Constructivism, making meaning

According to a Chinese proverb, people forget the things they are told, but understand the things that they do. This tendency suggests an area where educators can make inroads with their students, such as the use of an innovative instructional strategy that the authors developed to enhance students' understanding of neurological and psychological illnesses. This strategy, which includes the use of cinema films by small groups of students for the development of case studies about neurological and psychological illnesses, is based on the theory of Constructivism.

According to Jonassen, Peck and Wilson (1998), Constructivists believe that knowledge, meaning, and understanding only exist within meaningful, intentional activity, whereby, people naturally construct meaning. Traditional educational methods, however, deliver streams of information from a lecture or a textbook. Instead, Constructivist learning relies on "making meaning" which is knowledge construction that results from an activity to promote the assimilation of information (Jonassen, Peck, & Wilson, 1998). Thus, the primary goal of education at all levels should be to engage students in meaningful learning, which occurs when students are actively "making meaning" or constructing knowledge from an activity.

In Learning with Technology, Jonassen, Peck, and Wilson (1998) apply the theory of Constructivism to the role of technology in education. They contend that learners do not learn from technology itself, but from new ways of thinking about what they are doing. The following are some basic Constructivist ideas about learning:

1. Knowledge is constructed, not transmitted.

2. Knowledge construction results from activity, and so is embedded in activity.

3. Knowledge is anchored in and indexed by the context in which the learning activity occurs.

4. Meaning is in the mind of the knower.

5. There are multiple perspectives on the world.

6. Meaning making is prompted by a need or desire to know something, and so involves personal ownership of a problem.

7. Knowledge-building requires articulation, expression, or representation of what is learned, i.e., meaning that is constructed.

8. Meaning may be shared with others, so meaning making can result from conversation.

9. Evidence of meaning making is distributed throughout a community's tools and culture.

According to Jonassen, Peck, and Wilson (1998), Constructivist learning emphasizes five interdependent attributes of meaningful learning: activity, constructiveness, intentionality, authenticity, and cooperativeness. Constructive activities provide opportunities for learners to reflect on an activity and build on prior knowledge. Further, Constructivists believe that learners think and learn more when they are fulfilling an intention. Authentic learning situates the task in a project-based learning environment, and this also helps learners transfer knowledge to new situations. Cooperative or collaborative learning requires conversation among participants. The learners working in groups must socially negotiate a common understanding of the task and the methods used to accomplish it.

In view of these five aspects of meaningful learning, the authors have put technology in the service meaningful learning. The technology that first creates and later broadcasts film is secondary perhaps to the viewing experience, but it has shaped American culture to an enormous degree. This rather common aspect of our culture serves the educators' agenda quite readily, provided the educator is selective about the film being viewed, and creates a curriculum from which students can make meaning from the viewing experience.

For example, the strategy provides an opportunity for students to work as a group. Group work allows students to develop skills such as cooperation, organization, and delegation. This practical experience prepares students to become members of a multi- disciplinary professional team.

The literature supports the use of films in classroom teaching. Films have been used to teach nursing (Parker & Faulk, 2004), counseling (Toman & Rak, 2000), and psychology (Boyatzis, 1994; Fleming, Piedmont, & Hiam, 1990). Videbeck (2004) suggests some methods for incorporating films into a mental health nursing course in the undergraduate text and, also, gave an example of movie viewing guidelines.

OVERVIEW OF INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY

The authors used their innovative instructional strategy in the fourth quarter of a seven-quarter curriculum for an associate degree nursing program. The particular course covers the mental health and neurological portion of the curriculum. Students in groups of four to six view selected films depicting neurological and psychopathological disorders. The authors selected the films from a comprehensive list found in Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing by Frisch and Frisch (2002). Cinema films were selected based on availability and relationship to course organization, e.g., one or two applicable films per unit of study. Frish and Frish was used because it was the only text that gave a detailed list of cinema films demonstrating psychopathologies.

In the assignment, each group views an assigned film, taking particular note of how a character's illness affects their behavior and their lives. The groups execute a nursing assessment using a concept map identical to that used in the clinical setting. Students note how the subject n the film character n meets the DSM-IV-TR criteria for psychopathology and the clinical syndrome of neuropathology. From this assessment, the group develops three priority diagnoses and corresponding short-term client outcomes with nursing interventions. In essence, the groups develop a case study which they present to the class. Most student groups use PowerPoint and film clips in their presentations. Recently, one group developed a movie poster to enhance their presentation. Films and the corresponding disorders include:

1. As Good As It Gets - Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

2. A Beautiful Mind - Schizophrenia

3. Mr. Jones - Bipolar Disorder

4. Ordinary People - Suicide

5. 28 Days - Substance Abuse Disorder

6. Sybil or Three Faces of Eve - Dissociative Identity Disorder

7. Awakenings - Postencephalitic Parkinsonism

Figure 1 below outlines the assignment, and Figure 2 outlines the evaluation method. These examples are drawn from the actual curriculum.

Figure 1

Figure 2

SURVEY AND RESULTS

The authors developed a four-point Likert scale Satisfaction Survey that was used by all students to evaluate the effectiveness of this teaching strategy, with 4 being Strongly Agree, 3 being Agree, 2 being Disagree, and 1 being Strongly Disagree. The survey included an open-ended item for comments.

Some of the positive comments are as follows:

1. It was great!

2. Good idea.

3. It was helpful to me and enjoyable. I think you should continue to do this.

4. I really enjoyed the films and presentations. It helps in learning the material.

5. Being a visual learner, the movies made the pathologies easier to understand and remember.

Some of the negative comments are as follows:

1. I had trouble finding Sybil.

2. This took up valuable time.

3. This feels like it's only busy work.

4. I have seen the movies before.

Suggestion for improvement

The authors intend to update the list of films, particularly replacing Mr. Jones in keeping with student feedback. The authors intend to keep Sybil and Awakenings in the curriculum, also, based on student input. Another change made based on student evaluations was that all students would view all films in their entirety. This was because when making presentations some groups showed brief clips of the movies which left students with many questions.

SUMMARY

Evaluations from students indicate the strategy is a positive experience for students. Faculty feedback suggests that if students view all of the recommended films they would better appreciate the class presentations and maximize their understanding of the pathologies being discussed.

This innovative instructional strategy supports the use of technology within the constructivist framework. Through the group work, students prepare to function within a multidisciplinary team. The verbal and visual components appeal to different learning styles. The case study approach helps students apply knowledge in a realistic setting and gives them the opportunity to articulate what they have learned.

Faculty have noted that students involved in this strategy show increased interest in and enthusiasm toward the course content. They become excited about the knowledge they construct as a result of the activity. Because of its success thus far, faculty will continue to refine and imple\ment this teaching strategy.

REFERENCES

Boyatzis, C.J. (1994). Using feature films to teach social development. Teaching of Psychology, 21(2), 99-101.

Fleming, M.Z., Piedmont, R.L., & Hiam, C.M., (1990). Images of madness: Feature films in teaching psychology. Teaching of Psychology, 17(3), 185-187.

Frish, N. & Frish, L. (2002). Psychiatric mental health nursing (2nd ed.), Albany, NY: Delmar Thomson Learning.

Jonassen, D.H., Peck, K.L., & Wilson, B.G. (1998). Learning with technology. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill.

Parker, P.M. & Faulk, D. (2004). Lights, camera, action: Using feature films to stimulate emancipatory learning in the RN to BSN student. Nurse Educator29(4), 144-146.

Potter, P.A., & Perry, a.G. (2005). Fundamentals of nursing, 6th Ed. St. Louis: Mosby.

Toman, S.M. & Rak, C.F. (2000). The use of cinema in the counselor education curriculum: Strategies and outcomes. Counselor Education and Supervision, 40(2), 105-113.

Videbeck, S. (2004). Psychiatric mental health nursing (2nd ed.), Philadelphia: Lippincott, Williams, & Wilkins.

Norlyn B. Hyde, MSN, RNC, CNS and Elizabeth Fife, MSN, CNS

Norlyn B. Hyde, RNC, MSN, CNS is an associate professor of nursing at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, Louisiana, where she has taught mental health and medicalsurgical nursing for 21 years. Mrs. Hyde received her baccalaureate degree from Northeast Louisiana University in Monroe, Louisiana, and her masters from Northwestern State University in Shreveport, Louisiana. Elizabeth Fife, RN, MSN, CNS is an associate professor of Nursing at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, Louisiana. She has taught mental health and medical-surgical nursing for 29 years at several universities in Louisiana. Mrs. Fife received her baccalaureate and master's degrees from Northwestern State University in Shreveport, Louisiana.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors would like to thank the Louisiana Tech University nursing students whose participation has prompted refinement of this innovative instructional strategy. Their enthusiasm and quest for knowledge stimulate the faculty to continue pursuit of excellence in classroom teaching.

Copyright Tucker Publications, Inc. Sep/Oct 2005

Source: ABNF Journal

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