Creating tension: undergraduate student nurses’ responses to a problem-based learning curriculum

Qualitative data were collected from undergraduate student nurses (n = 45) who were participating in a problem-based learning programme of education. Data analysis, using a modified grounded theory method, revealed that although it was perceived that there were considerable benefits to be gained from problem-based learning, there were also some disadvantages. A category that was labelled ‘creating tension’, which consisted of two sub-categories, namely ‘making the transition’ and ‘remembering the aims’ emerged from the data. Making the transition highlighted the difficulty in moving to problem-based learning from more traditional methods of education, whilst remembering the aims described an emphasis on the importance that students place on knowledge acquisition. A number of recommendations for educational practice and research are made as a result of these findings.