Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate a structured group encounter aimed at assisting new nursing students make peer for nursing and make suggestions on nursing education.
Methods: The study targeted 61 nursing students who had just started their studies at university. Practical exercise started one week after the start of the academic year. At the end of practical exercise, the students were surveyed with a questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of the 25-item Semantic Differential Questionnaire (25SDQ) and free remarks. The 25SDQ had 25 questions that the students answered by choosing from a scale of seven steps between two adjectives of opposite meanings. The free remarks asked students to write about five topics: something that left an impression on them, something unexpected, something of interest, something useful for the future and something regrettable. The data wag analyzed for the 25SDQ questiong on a scale of 1 to 7, with 7 being the mogt positive. The free remarks were analyzed according to the content analysis.
Results: The median value for the 25SDQ questions ranged from 4 to 6. Factor analysis revealed five factors: "benefit", "understanding", "experience", "liveliness" and "tempo". The free remarks revealed that self awareness and understanding of others for each question were by and large common.
Conclusion: The new students were positive about the practical exercise and the students themselves advanced both their self awareness and understanding of others. In addition, we can surmise the training became the base for making peer for empowerment and there is meaning for further continuing the training.