A qualitative exploration of nursing undergraduates’ perceptions towards scaffolding in the flipped classroom of the Fundamental Nursing Practice Course: a qualitative study

BACKGROUND: Although the benefits of using a flipped classroom in nursing education have been reported, there are few published studies attempting to understand students' subjective experiences with scaffolding in a flipped classroom and the challenges they face as a result of this type of educational change. The purpose of this study was to describe students' perspectives of scaffolding in the Flipped Classroom of the Fundamental Nursing Practice Course (FNPC-FC). METHODS: Thirty-four undergraduates were recruited and separated into four groups in the study. The data was collected through semi-structured focus group interviews. Thematic analysis was conducted to analyze the data in order to determine the themes in the interview transcriptions. RESULTS: The research revealed two primary themes with associated sub-themes: 1) challenging learning experience, and 2) teacher-student interaction. CONCLUSIONS: Students will confront substantial challenges as scaffolding strategies are implemented in the flipped classroom. On the other hand, scaffolding in the flipped classroom can successfully train students to be self-directed learners and equip them with nursing skills when students are given appropriate support.