Navigating creativity within arts-based pedagogy: Implications of a constructivist grounded theory study

Background: Educators implement arts-based pedagogy with the hope that it will foster meaningful learning for students. However, nursing students have varied reactions to artistic assignments, and there is a need to further understand students' learning processes with this novel approach and the factors influencing their learning. This understanding could promote the more effective implementation of arts-based pedagogy into nursing education. Objective: To develop a theoretical understanding of how and when undergraduate nursing students learn through arts-based pedagogy. Design: Constructivist grounded theory. Settings: Canadian baccalaureate nursing program. Participants: Thirty third-year undergraduate nursing students and eight of their nursing instructors. Methods: Participants who had experienced arts-based assignments were recruited with purposive and then theoretical sampling. We collected four sources of data: a socio-demographic questionnaire, semi-structured interviews, photo/art elicitation, and field notes. The socio-demographic data were analyzed with descriptive statistics and all other data with constructivist grounded theory procedures. Results: Our findings revealed that students had to navigate a creative process with arts-based assignments, which involved several iterative phases. This type of learning was unique within their program and somewhat constrained by the context of nursing education. There was notable variation in the students' experiences. Although many reported meaningful learning, approximately 20% of the students did not value the assignment. Our findings elucidated multi-level enabling and restraining factors that influenced students' engagement with and learning from this creative process. Conclusions: These findings provide insight into modifiable factors that influenced students' engagement and learning, and have important implications for making ABP accessible and meaningful for more students.