Faculty's experience in developing and implementing concept-based teaching of baccalaureate nursing education in the Chinese context: A descriptive qualitative research study

Background: Nursing education faces daunting challenges in preparing graduates to think critically in the context of the complex healthcare system of practice. Concept-based teaching (CBT) is an effective approach used in curriculum reform to cultivate critical thinking and active learning abilities in nursing students. Objectives: This research aims to investigate faculty's experiences while developing and implementing CBT, and clarify barriers to and facilitators of CBT reform in China. Design: A descriptive qualitative study. Setting: A university in middle China. Participants: Full-time teachers teaching in a four-year undergraduate nursing program that offers CBT. Methods: This study used a purposive sampling method and collected data through semi-structured interviews. The researchers digitally recorded and transcribed each interview verbatim. The conventional content analysis method was used to examine the faculty's experiences while developing and implementing CBT. Theoretical saturation was achieved using ten educators due to the group's high homogeneity. Results: Through the data analysis process, five themes emerged from the participants' descriptions: questioning themselves, taking responsibility, struggling with conflict and stress, recognizing support, and feeling worthwhile. Thirteen subthemes were also identified. The overarching themes extracted from the participants' experiences were struggling with conflict and stress and feeling worthwhile. Conclusion: The faculty's CBT experiences ranged from curiosity and expectation at the initial stage to confusion in the face of challenges at the middle stage. The faculty ultimately believed that their time and energy were well-invested. Faculty faced significant challenges due to students' resistance, peer maladjustment, and inner conflict during the reform process, but the administrators supported their transition and helped them overcome difficulties through change theory-based workshop training. Developing effective strategies was indispensable to reduce both faculty's and students' resistance and negative reactions.