Opposite-Sex Classmate: Facilitator and Barrier to Learning

Effective and non-effective communication is the main part of our daily life activities.The purpose of this study was to investigate the male and female students of having opposite gender classmate and its educational impact, based on their perception and experiences. In this qualitative study, the nursing students of Golestan University of Medical Sciences were invited to participate in interview.Considering purposeful sampling method and concept saturation, we interviewed with 20 students. The data were collected through individual interactive semi-structured interviews.The interviews were transcribed line by line, coded and categorized through analyzing "content analysis". Both male and female participants state that having classmates with opposite- sex, due to preparation for future work-life and knowing opposite gender, is essential. Interaction between a male and female classmate is forming gradually during clinical training.Clinical learning environments are effective in better understanding of opposite gender.The experiences and perceptions of the participants in terms of having classmates with opposite gender in educational environment are explained with two main themes "learning facilitator and "learning inhibitor". Since the academic period is short, it seems that preparation for future work-life is stressful and also being classmate with opposite gender is a major challenge for the students too. Although the students know that having opposite-sex classmate is a necessary issue, due to lack of experiences in their previous school years, this sudden exposure may cause emotional conflict and as a result learning process is inhibited. Having knowledgeable and trustworthy consultants in university may be helpful for the students to deal with their social condition and cultural environment and conduct hidden curriculum