Effect of using Peer Assisted Learning approach on clinical self-efficacy of nursing students in Islamic Azad University of Tehran Medical Sciences branch

Teaching and learning from peers is an effective educational intervention for health science students in clinical settings. Peer assisted learning is a situation in which people of an equal social group, who are not professional teachers help others to learn and they learn during teaching at the same time. The aim of this study was investigating the effect of using Peer Assisted Learning approach on clinical self-efficacy of nursing students in selected fields of Islamic Azad University of Medical Sciences in Tehran.
This study was a quasi-experimental and case-control research. Sampling was Census method and included 150 people. These subjects were divided into two groups of case and control by simple random sampling; the control group with conventional methods (by clinical instructor) and case groups by peer learning, experienced clinical education for 3 weeks. Data collection tool was included psychometric questionnaires by Cheraghi and et.al to assess self-efficacy in clinical practice with 4-point Likert scale in 4 domains. All students completed questionnaires before and after training. For data analysis were used software SPSS (Ver22) in descriptive level (measure of central tendency) and inferential statistics (independent t test, Chi-square and covariance analysis). In this study P˂0.05 was considered significant.
Descriptive findings show that with the loss of 9 people, 141 nursing students participated in the case group (68 students) and in the control group (73 students) finally. Students of the two groups did not differ significantly in terms of age, gender and habitat (native and non-native). The results of covariance assumptions showed that due to non-violation of the linear assumption, the homogeneity of the studied regression slope and the variance consistency of the data of the under study groups, research hypothesis have been confirmed(pIt seems that the use of Peer Assisted Learning approach has been effective in improving patient care dimensions by increasing the self-efficacy of students.