Undergraduate nursing students’ perspectives on cooperative learning in the Chinese cultural context: a qualitative descriptive study
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Cooperative learning (CL) is increasingly used in nursing education to promote active learning, communication, and teamwork. Students’ understandings of CL and their related participation behaviors may be shaped by their previous educational experiences and cultural context. This study explored Chinese undergraduate nursing students’ understandings of CL and the behaviors arising from these understandings. A qualitative descriptive study was conducted. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect the data. Data collection and analysis were conducted concurrently. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using inductive reflexive thematic analysis. The Consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ) checklist was used in this study. Sixteen third-year undergraduate nursing students participated in interviews between March 2024 and April 2024. Three themes and seven subthemes were generated. The first theme, Beneficial but demanding: dual appraisal of CL , reflected students’ recognition of benefits beyond individual learning alongside the complexity of cooperation. The second theme, Actively constructing a workable order , described how students actively participated in CL. The third theme, Simplifying cooperation to avoid extra burdens , showed how students divided collective work and limited in-depth interaction. Chinese undergraduate nursing students’ understandings of CL influenced how they participated and organized cooperation. Nursing educators should consider the influence of students’ previous educational experiences, emphasize the value of CL for developing communication, critical thinking, and teamwork, and strengthen support for individual accountability and group processing. Online collaborative tools may help identify unequal participation and ineffective group processing. Further research should examine these findings in different nursing schools and evaluate educational interventions designed to improve students’ cooperative behaviors. Not applicable.
Source: BMC Nursing
Authors: Ying Wang, Zhuangrong Fan, Enru Lin, Rong Hu
Institution: Fujian Medical University
Language: English
Subfield: Developmental and Educational Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,090
OpenAlex ID: W7225657125
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