Simulated directed-learning in life-education intervention on the meaning of life, positive beliefs, and well-being among nursing students: A Quasi-experimental study

Nursing educators have the responsibility to equip nursing students with knowledge about the meaning of life, positive beliefs, and well-being in order to enhance their physical, psychological, spiritual, and social health education and promotion. The purpose of this study was to explore nursing students’ simulated directed-learning in a life-education intervention on the meaning of life, positive beliefs, and well-being in regard to immediate and delayed effects in improving physical, psychological, spiritual, and social health education and promotion. The method of this study was constituted a quasi-experimental design with experimental and control groups for pre-test, post-test, and post-post-test. Purposive sampling and non-random distribution were used in the study. Assigned to the experimental group, 54 participants were third-year nursing students enrolled in a health education course with simulated directed-learning in a life-education intervention. Assigned to the control group, 56 participants were third-year nursing students enrolled in a caring care course without simulated directed-learning in a life-education intervention. A 56-item questionnaire was utilized, and the content validity index (CVI) was 0.95, as determined by seven expert scholars. The reliability of the questionnaire (n = 45) on Cronbach's α were: meaning of life 0.96, positive beliefs 0.95, and well-being 0.96. The statistical package SPSS 23.0 was used to analyze all of the data in the study. Frequencies, percentages, pre-test mean and SD, post-test mean and SD, post-post-test mean and SD, chi-squared test, t test, and generalized estimating equation (GEE) were employed for data analysis. Nursing students in the experimental group compared with the control group exhibited significant differences in meaning of life on the pre-post-test (β = 16.40, P < .001) and pre-post post-test (β = 25.94, P < .001), positive beliefs on the pre-post-test (β = 5.64, P < .01) and pre-post post-test (β = 9.21, P < .001), and well-being on the pre-post-test (β = 14.33, P < .001) and pre-post post-test (β = 23.68, P < .001). Nursing students in the experimental group showed a significant improvement in the simulated directed-learning with a life-education intervention on meaning of life, positive beliefs, and well-being in the immediate and delayed effects that enhanced their physical, psychological, spiritual, and social health education and promotion.