Felicity Daniels | University of the Western Cape (original) (raw)

Papers by Felicity Daniels

South Africa's transition from apartheid to democracy necessitated transformation within all ... more South Africa's transition from apartheid to democracy necessitated transformation within all sectors to ensure their appropriateness for the new democratic era. In line with the national transformation agenda and the transformation and restructuring of the higher education sector, the Minister of Education in 2002 announced that the University of the Western Cape (UWC) and the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) would be the only enrolling institutions for undergraduate nursing education in the Western Cape. This decision meant that the University of Stellenbosch and the University Cape Town would no longer enrol undergraduate nurses, but would combine their strengths in a collaborative manner with UWC to train nurses for the region. The Cape Higher Education Consortium (CHEC), however, proposed the establishment of a Common Teaching Platform (CTP) for undergraduate nursing education in the region, requiring collaboration between all higher education institutions in t...

Africa journal of nursing and midwifery, 2013

The higher education system in South Africa transformed over the last two decades in response to ... more The higher education system in South Africa transformed over the last two decades in response to societal changes and the new democratic order since 1994. Nursing education programmes in South Africa’s higher education sector were also affected by these changes. Restructuring in nursing education led to the establishment of a novel undergraduate nursing programme delivery system in the Western Cape, known as a “common teaching platform” (CTP) for undergraduate nursing. The CTP necessitated collaboration between three higher education institutions in the region. This article reports the findings of a qualitative study conducted during 2010 to explore students’ experiences of the CTP. The findings could have significance for strategic decisions regarding the future of undergraduate nursing in the Western Cape. Focus group discussions were conducted with registered undergraduate student nurses (n=81) to explore their CTP experiences and to identify their views on the success of the col...

Research Objectives 1. To establish the graduates views on the Bachelor of Nursing programme in t... more Research Objectives 1. To establish the graduates views on the Bachelor of Nursing programme in terms of its content, delivery and relevance to the graduate's world of work 2. To identify possible gaps in theory and clinical learning to inform improvement plans Methodology Approach and Design  A tracer study using a quantitative approach and survey method was employed Population  All graduates of 2013 from the Bachelor of Nursing programme at UWC Sampling  Non-probability, purposive sampling was used  The sample was all inclusive of the 137 graduates who completed the programme in 2013 Data collection  An online survey was designed, using Survey Face  Paper-based surveys were delivered to participants or administered telephonically to improve the response rate  The survey focused on biographical and educational information and its relevance to the work needs Data analysis  Analyzing a web-based survey consists of a number of interrelated processes that are intended to prepare, arrange, summarize and transform data into information  Computer statistical package for the social sciences, SPSS, version 22.0 was used to arrange and analyse the data

Africa Journal of Nursing and Midwifery, 2015

The mental health care environment is a stressful environment, especially among student nurses. T... more The mental health care environment is a stressful environment, especially among student nurses. The purpose of the study was to develop a model of emotional support for student nurses working in the mental health care environment. The objectives were set in two phases: phase one-identification of concepts; phase two-development of a model of emotional support for student nurses. A theory-generating design, based on a qualitative, explorative and descriptive research approach, was used to meet the aim of the study. Data was purposively collected from 40 nursing students using (n=6) focus group discussions and eight educators and nine clinical staff by way of semi-structured interviews. Data was analysed by means of Tesch's method of data analysis. The model was developed by means of the four steps of which the first two are discussed in this paper as step three and four will be discussed elsewhere. Step One is the concept development consisting of concept identification and concept definition. A total of 22 concepts were identified, which were synthesised into six main concepts, namely, positive self-concept, positive work environment, academic and professional development, effective communication, formal and informal supportive interventions, and collaboration between the higher education institution and the mental health care setting. Step two is the model development during which the main concepts were placed in relation to one another, which formed an emotional support model for students working in mental health care settings. This paper gives an account of the methodological processes that were utilised to meet the aim and objectives of the study.

With the increase in nursing students’ enrolments in the first year of the Bachelor of Nursing pr... more With the increase in nursing students’ enrolments in the first year of the Bachelor of Nursing programme at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) from 150 in 2003 to 300 in 2005, case-based education (CBE) was introduced as one of the innovative teaching strategies and methods more relevant for teaching and learning in large student classes. The CBE was identified and selected as an overarching teaching strategy as it was believed that it would ensure that students were adequately prepared for nursing practice. After more than six years of CBE being implemented at the School of Nursing (SoN) at UWC, its inherent value to teaching and learning had not been established. Answers to whether nursing students, as users, value the CBE approach and whether or not CBE meets the purpose for which it was adopted were sought. This study describes the views of nursing students with regard to implementation of the case-based teaching and learning methodology in large classes to establish wheth...

Open Journal of Nursing, 2015

Introduction: Nursing is a dual profession that involves teaching both in class and at the clinic... more Introduction: Nursing is a dual profession that involves teaching both in class and at the clinical area. Nurse tutors meet a lot of challenges in their profession through their cognitive, affective and psychomotor nursing performance. The aim of this paper is to determine the challenges of nurse tutor clinical affective, cognitive and psychomotor performance in Malawi. Methods: Mixed methods design was employed. Quantitatively, 129 students and 82 nurse tutors randomly selected were involved for the five ranked Likert Scale questionnaire, and 42 nurse tutors were involved in in-depth. While 8 focus group discussions were conducted in 8 nursing colleges. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used quantitatively for predictive variable of nurse tutor work experience and student study experience to compare with the dependent variables from the 39 cognitive, affective and psychomotor attributes. Results: Both nurse tutors and students are not impressed with nurse tutors cognitive, affective and psychomotor performance during teaching. There is inadequate clinical orientation to students [OR ≤ 0.302; 95%CI (0.096 ± 2.955); p ≥ 0.042] and inadequate funding from college administration [OR ≤ 1.013; 95%CI (0.271 ± 3.793); p ≥ 0.985] as a result it creates much pressure on teaching. Conclusion: There is a need to develop an effective teaching strategy that would be conducive and easy to use for the limited resource environments in Malawi.

Curationis, 2006

The commercialization of research and the ever changing scientific environment has led scholars t... more The commercialization of research and the ever changing scientific environment has led scholars to shift the focus from promoting research integrity to regulating misconduct. As a result, most literature explains research integrity in terms of avoidance of misconduct. The purpose of the paper is to stimulate reflection and discussion on research integrity and research misconduct. This article explores the meaning of research integrity and research misconduct, and how research integrity can be promoted to ensure safer research and scholarship. We believe that the discussion can help clarify some hazy areas in the research and publication processes, and appreciate some crucial aspects that they may have seen taken for granted. The purpose of this article is to share with the readers some clarification or analysis of the two concepts namely: research integrity and misconduct. The objectives are: (1) To explore and analyse the concepts of research integrity and research misconduct from ...

Curationis, 2009

Conducting research in the area of sexual violence has complex ethical and practical challenges f... more Conducting research in the area of sexual violence has complex ethical and practical challenges for the researcher. Managing ethical issues in sexual violence is important and can be achieved through the use of pilot studies. The primary purpose of the pilot study was to identify and manage potential ethical and practical problems that could jeopardise the main study or violate the ethical and human rights of participants in the main study on women’s journey of recovery from sexual assault. The secondary purpose was to collect preliminary data in order to determine the human, financial and time resources needed for a planned study. The methods and processes used in conducting the pilot study in the study on women’s journey of recovery are discussed according to each of the objectives of the pilot study, methods used to achieve the objective, observations or findings made during the pilot study, and implications for the main study.This article aims to demonstrate how a pilot study wa...

Researchgate, Jul 2, 2021

Since the nineteenth century, assessment has been used in higher education. Assessment traditions... more Since the nineteenth century, assessment has been used in higher education. Assessment traditions, on the other hand, had to be adapted through change and innovation in a continually evolving higher education system. In an effort to address transformation in nursing education, nurse educators are tasked to ensure that current assessment practices remain relevant without compromising the quality. This study aimed to establish best practices for theoretical assessment design in preregistration nursing education. Following a robust literature search process following the five steps of Arksey and O'Malley's framework, a consensus to shortlist twelve studies was reached. Three independent reviewers were involved in this process to ensure rigor. The findings revealed that various factors have a significant impact on theoretical assessment design in pre-registration nursing education. These factors include: (1) the use of taxonomy framework to align assessments, (2) bridging the theory-practice gap, (3) nurse educators' workload. These findings suggest that the quality and relevance of theoretical assessments design in pre-registration nursing education could benefit immensely when nurse educators place emphasis on constructive alignment with reference to the scaffolding of the assessment or for learning based on taxonomy frameworks and clinical practice. Nurse educators should endeavour to effectively apply and appropriately align theoretical assessments with the principles of taxonomy frameworks such as that of Benjamin Bloom. When the framework is implemented correctly, nurse educators will be able to design assessments that are well-balanced, assessing appropriate cognitive skills without creating the impression of a tough or easy assessment. To reduce the theory-practice gap, emphasis should be placed on types of questions used when designing assessments considering that assessment practices must be aligned with the learning and teaching strategies. The workload is a management issue that calls for norms and standards for workload distribution considering the time needed for the design of meaningful assessments.

Nursing programmes worldwide are under increasing pressure to graduate larger numbers of students... more Nursing programmes worldwide are under increasing pressure to graduate larger numbers of students to meet the demands of diminishing nurse workforce. Several studies have been conducted to identify predictors of academic performance. Academic performance and ultimately the retention of nursing students is known to be based on the interaction of student profile characteristics, student affective factors, academic and environmental factors, academic and psychological outcomes and professional integration factors.

Curationis, 2017

Background: The demand for highly qualified and skilled nurses is increasing in South Africa as w... more Background: The demand for highly qualified and skilled nurses is increasing in South Africa as well as around the world. Having a background in science can create a significant advantage for students wishing to enrol for an undergraduate nursing qualification because nursing as profession is grounded in scientific evidence.Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the predictive validity of grade 12 mathematics and science on the academic performance of first year student nurses in science modules.Method: A quantitative research method using a cross-sectional predictive design was employed in this study. The participants included first year Bachelor of Nursing students enrolled at a university in the Western Cape, South Africa. Descriptive and inferential statistics were performed to analyse the data by using the IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences versions 24. Descriptive analysis of all variables was performed as well as the Spearman’s rank correlation test to describ...

South African Journal of Higher Education, 2019

Understanding the factors that predict academic performance of nursing students is one of the maj... more Understanding the factors that predict academic performance of nursing students is one of the major goals of universities and schools of nursing globally. The aim of this study was to determine the predictors of academic performance among undergraduate nursing students. A search was carried out using various databases and journals (Science Direct, Escohost, BioMed Central, PubMed, SAGE Journals and Directory of Open Access Journals) for the period from 2006 to 2016. Two independent reviewers assessed the methodological quality of the shortlisted studies. The results are presented in textual narrative. The 17 studies included in this review represented five countries. The results of this review highlighted that older students, female gender, English language proficiency, majority ethnic status, pre-admission qualifications, high admission GPA, high supplemental application score, high pre-admission science GPA, selecting nursing as first choice for study, participating in organised music programmes, homework completion, lecture attendance, kinaesthetic learning approach, performance in psychology modules, emotional intelligence, self-control and resilience are significant predictors of academic performance among nursing students.

South Africa's transition from apartheid to democracy necessitated transformation within all sect... more South Africa's transition from apartheid to democracy necessitated transformation within all sectors to ensure their appropriateness for the new democratic era. In line with the national transformation agenda and the transformation and restructuring of the higher education sector, the Minister of Education in 2002 announced that the University of the Western Cape (UWC) and the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) would be the only enrolling institutions for undergraduate nursing education in the Western Cape. This decision meant that the University of Stellenbosch and the University Cape Town would no longer enrol undergraduate nurses, but would combine their strengths in a collaborative manner with UWC to train nurses for the region. The Cape Higher Education Consortium (CHEC), however, proposed the establishment of a Common Teaching Platform (CTP) for undergraduate nursing education in the region, requiring collaboration between all higher education institutions in the Western Cape. The Common Teaching Platform came into effect in 2005. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the regional collaboration on the Common Teaching Platform for B Cur Nursing in the Western Cape. An evaluation research design using qualitative methods was adopted for the study. Stufflebeam's decision-oriented evaluation model, which caters for the evaluation of the context, input, process and product components of programmes, was used to guide the research process. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews, focus group discussions and a record review were used to collect data from the Chief Executive Officers of CHEC; Deputy Vice-Chancellors of the participating universities; Deans of the Health Science Faculties; Heads of Departments, Lecturers and Students of the Nursing Departments of the participating universities. iii The study adopted an inductive approach to data analysis. The inductive analysis procedure described by Thomas (2003) was adapted and used. The results evinced a general lack of application of the basic tenets of change management and a systems approach to the planning and implementation of the Common Teaching Platform. Transformation of nursing education in the Western Cape, according to the results, was in line with the national transformation agenda. Participants, however, felt that people were not yet ready to collaborate and needed enough time to accept the change, given that transformation was relatively new in the country. A critical finding was that important stakeholders were excluded from the planning phase, which led to challenges during the implementation of the Common Teaching Platform. The results further highlighted that a top-down approach was adopted. Numerous challenges with regards to the implementation of the Common Teaching Platform, including inter alia, poor communication, lack of commitment to the collaboration process, lack of adequate resources and challenges with the delivery of the curriculum, were shared by all the participants. Despite all these challenges the results showed that the student throughput rates were not compromised, and that the number of reported complaints from lecturers and students decreased over the years. On the whole, however, participants felt that the goals of the collaboration were not met due to the

South African Journal of Higher Education, 2016

Nursing education in the Western Cape responded to the South African higher education transformat... more Nursing education in the Western Cape responded to the South African higher education transformation agenda by establishing a Common Teaching Platform (CTP) for the delivery of the undergraduate nursing programme. Three universities in the region have collaborated since 2005 in the delivery of this programme. One of the universities was identified as the enrolling institution. During this period, the province experienced a shortage of nursing personnel. In response to this shortage and to transformation in the country, there was an increase in the enrolment target for the undergraduate programme offered by the three collaborating universities. Five years after the establishment of the CTP and the increased student intake, there was a need to explore the experiences of the lecturers, clinical supervisors and students regarding teaching and learning in large classes. In this article, the experiences of nursing students, clinical supervisors, and lecturers are shared and suggestions from the target groups are presented.

Africa Journal of Nursing and Midwifery, 2021

The retention of professional nurses in the public health sector is essential for maintaining qua... more The retention of professional nurses in the public health sector is essential for maintaining quality nursing care. Effective retention strategies enhance nurses’ job satisfaction, promote professionalism, decrease organisational costs and improve patients’ care. The Namibian public health sector has, for a long time, experienced challenges in retaining professional nurses and this has affected patient care, students’ clinical practice and the facilities’ status. A qualitative descriptive design was used in this study to explore professional nurses’ perceptions of factors influencing the retention of professional nurses at a health facility in Windhoek, Namibia. Semi-structured, face-to-face interviews were conducted with 11 professional nurses. Tesch’s eight steps for data analysis generated two themes, namely: 1) Satisfaction with remuneration varied; the work environment was non-conducive and management was inadequate; and 2) Dissatisfaction resulted from negative psychological e...

South African Journal of Higher Education

Students with low grades in high school science related subjects as well as those that obtained l... more Students with low grades in high school science related subjects as well as those that obtained low grades in their first year of study should be given the necessary support to avoid the risk of unsatisfactory academic performance. The performance of nursing students is a diverse topic that needs further investigation at more nursing institutions and at various levels of undergraduate programmes. This study describes the predictors of academic performance among second-year nursing students at a university in the Western Cape. A non-experimental quantitative research approach with a cross-sectional predictive design was carried out to determine the relationship between predictor variables and academic performance of second-year Bachelor of Nursing students (n=226). A multiple-linear regression analysis was done to determine which variables best explains the variations in the students' academic performance. The study found that the cognitive variables had the strongest predictive power in association with academic performance in comparison to the demographic variable, besides race which rejected the null hypothesis.

Curationis

Background: Educational environments have been found to bear a substantial relationship with the ... more Background: Educational environments have been found to bear a substantial relationship with the academic performance and success, as well as the retention, of students.Objectives: The study objectives were to (1) evaluate the educational environment as perceived by undergraduate nursing students at a school of nursing (SON) in Western Cape province and (2) investigate whether the educational environment, or components thereof, is perceived negatively or positively among undergraduate nursing students of different year level, gender, home language and ethnicity.Method: A quantitative research method with a cross-sectional design was implemented. Data were collected from 232 undergraduate nursing students from a SON at a university in Western Cape province, South Africa. The subscales and the items of the educational environment questionnaire were compared among undergraduate nursing students. Data were analysed by means of the IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (IBM SPSS-24...

Curationis, 2015

Background: A school of nursing at a university in the Western Cape experienced an increase in st... more Background: A school of nursing at a university in the Western Cape experienced an increase in student enrolments from an intake of 150 students to 300 students in the space of one year. This required a review of the teaching and learning approach to ensure that it was appropriate for effective facilitation of large classes. The case-based education (CBE) approach was adopted for the delivery of the Bachelor of Nursing programme in 2005.Aim: The aim of the study was to explore nurse educators’ experiences, current practices and possible improvements to inform best practice of CBE at the nursing school in the Western Cape.Methods: A participatory action research method was applied in a two day workshop conducted with nurse educators in the undergraduate nursing programme. The nominal group technique was used to collect the data.Results: Three themes emerged from the final synthesis of the findings, namely: teaching and learning related issues, student issues and teacher issues. Among...

Http Dx Doi Org 10 4102 Curationis V36i1 99, 2013

The JBI Database of Systematic Reviews and Implementation Reports, 2015

What are the experiences of students, academics and managers regarding institutionally driven col... more What are the experiences of students, academics and managers regarding institutionally driven collaborative models in health professions degree programs between higher education institutions (HEIs) nationally and internationally?