EFFECTIVENESS OF STRUCTURED FEEDBACK ON CLINICAL PERFORMANCE AMONG UNDERGRADUATE NURSING STUDENTS: A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY
Keywords:
structured feedback, clinical performance, nursing students, clinical education, Pendleton's rules.Abstract
Background: Clinical competence is the ultimate outcome of undergraduate nursing education, yet many students receive inconsistent and unstructured feedback during clinical placements. Structured feedback models, such as Pendleton's rules, have been proposed as strategies to enhance learning outcomes, but empirical evidence from quasi-experimental designs remains limited.
Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a structured feedback intervention on clinical performance among undergraduate nursing students during clinical placements.
Methods: A non-equivalent quasi-experimental design with pre- and post-test assessments was employed. A total of 120 third-year undergraduate nursing students were recruited from two campuses of a public nursing college. The intervention group (n = 60) received structured feedback using Pendleton's rules following each clinical skill demonstration, while the control group (n = 60) received conventional unstructured feedback. Clinical performance was measured using the Clinical Performance Evaluation Tool (CPET), a validated 30-item instrument assessing knowledge application, psychomotor skills, communication, and professional behavior. Data were analyzed using independent samples t-tests and ANCOVA, controlling for pre-test scores.
Results: Post-intervention CPET scores were significantly higher in the intervention group (M = 82.4, SD = 6.8) compared with the control group (M = 74.1, SD = 7.9), t(118) = 6.28, p < .001, with a large effect size (Cohen's d = 1.13). ANCOVA confirmed the intervention effect remained significant after controlling for pre-test performance, F(1, 117) = 34.72, p < .001, partial η² = .23. Subscale analyses revealed the greatest improvements in psychomotor skills and communication.
Conclusion: Structured feedback significantly improves clinical performance among undergraduate nursing students. Incorporating structured feedback models into clinical supervision protocols is recommended to enhance competency development and student confidence.
