Barriers and Facilitators to the Learning and Acquisition of Research Competencies among Nursing Students through Active Methodologies: A Qualitative Study Using Reflective Writing

Background: The development of educational research, critical thinking skills, and evidence-based practice requires proposals for educational innovation. The purpose of this study was to explore the perspectives of undergraduate nursing students on the barriers and facilitators after the implementation of a novel activity within the course of research methodology, composed of three active learning strategies: (a) project-based learning; (b) small-group learning; and (c) self-directed learning. Methods: A qualitative exploratory study using reflective writing was conducted at the Nursing Department of the Red Cross School (Spain). Seventy-four nursing students participated in the study, enrolled in the research methodology course. Purposive sampling was used. Online reflective notes were collected from a script of open-ended questions. An inductive thematic analysis was performed. Results: The new proposals facilitated learning of the subject matter and its contents. They were useful and enabled the students to put the contents into practice. In addition, they improved the students’ organization, planning, and involvement. The barriers identified were a lack of time, ambiguity, inadequate tutoring or novelty of the work, and inequity in the distribution of tasks and workloads. Conclusions: Our findings shed light on the barriers and facilitators identified by nursing students when implementing an educational innovation proposal, using three active learning methodologies as learning tools for the subject of nursing research.