Key strategies in scholarly writing instruction for doctor of nursing practice students: A Q-methodology study

Background: Development of scholarly writing skills in Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) students is essential to their capacity to advance nursing science after graduation. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to inform instructional design choices and teaching strategies for DNP writing courses by examining student viewpoints before and after completing a scholarly writing course. Design: Q methodology was used to explore student self-perceptions of scholarly writing skills. Setting: An online scholarly writing course at a large university in the midwestern United States. Participants: Twenty-six DNP students with either a bachelor's or master's degree in nursing. Methods: Before and after a scholarly writing course, students ranked 34 writing competency statements according to how well the statements described them. Results: Three pre-course and four post-course factors represented student viewpoints of their scholarly writing knowledge, skills, and attitudes before and after a writing course. Conclusions: Effective instruction in scholarly writing for DNPs should include explicitly directed pre-writing activities, frequent opportunities to give and receive feedback, and training on management of emotional aspects of writing.

Automated summary

The purpose of this study was to inform instructional design choices and teaching strategies for DNP writing courses by examining student viewpoints before and after completing a scholarly writing course. The results indicated that students had different viewpoints on scholarly writing knowledge, skills, and attitudes before and after the course. Therefore, effective instruction in scholarly writing should include explicitly directed pre-writing activities, frequent opportunities to give and receive feedback, and training on management of emotional aspects of writing.