The Effect of Computer-Aided Simulation Training on Aspiration Skills and General Efficacy Beliefs

Purpose This study was conducted to determine the effect of computer-aided simulation education on nursing students' aspiration skills and general competence beliefs.

Research Hypotheses H1-1: Computer-aided simulation education has an effect on aspiration self-efficacy.

H1-2: Computer-aided simulation education has an effect on nursing students' general competence beliefs.

Method

Research Design The research is a randomized controlled experimental study.

Place of the Research The research was conducted with students studying in the second year of the nursing department of the faculty of health sciences of a state university in the fall semester of the 2024-2025 academic year between November 20 and December 20, 2024.

The Universe and Sample of the Study The universe of the study consisted of students studying in the second year of the nursing department of the faculty of health sciences of a state university in the fall semester of the 2024-2025 academic year (N=126). The sample consisted of second year students who met the acceptance criteria of the study. Power analysis was performed to determine the number of people to be included in the study. Power analysis was calculated with the G*Power 3.1 program in the sample calculation. The effect size was taken as 0.80 as high level according to the difference between independent groups determined by Cohen (1988). In order to exceed the 95% value in determining the power of the study; a total of 70 people should be reached, 35 in each group at a significance level of 5% and an effect size of 0.80 (df=68; t=1.668).

The students were randomly assigned to the control and intervention groups. A randomization table was created using the website http://stattrek.com/statistics/random-number-generator.aspx. Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria: Volunteer second-year nursing students were included in the study. Students who were absent from classes in the relevant period, who joined the department through horizontal and vertical transfer, who were unsuccessful in the Fundamentals of Nursing course, who experienced aspiration skill on a real patient, and students who did not volunteer to participate in the study will not be accepted.

Dependent, independent variables: The dependent variables of the study were determined as aspiration self-efficacy and general competence belief scale score average. Independent variables are other characteristics obtained in the student identification form (age, gender, etc.) Data Collection Tools Student Identification Form It was prepared by the researchers in line with the literature. It consists of 6 questions that include the introductory characteristics of nursing students and some information about their education (age, gender, academic grade point average, type of high school graduated, status of choosing the nursing department, status of fear of performing nursing practices).

Aspiration Skill Self-Assessment Form It was created by the researcher in order to evaluate the students' ability to perform the steps of the procedure related to aspiration application. The first form consisting of 25 items in a 5-point Likert type developed by the researchers for aspiration application skills was presented to a total of 10 experts from the field of nursing. The content validity index (CVI) of the expressions for the created items was calculated. In line with the expert opinions; adjustments were made regarding the items that were stated to be incomprehensible, had similar meanings, contained multiple judgments and would not measure the skill. In addition, the Cronbach Alpha value of the evaluation form for this study was determined as 0.882.

General Competence Belief Scale The scale to be used to measure the general competence belief of nursing students was created by Jerusalem and Schwarzer in 1992. Its adaptation to Turkish was also made by Çelik Kaleli and Çapri (2008) (Çelik Kaleli and Çapri, 2008). The scale has 10 items and a 4-point Likert type. The minimum score that can be obtained from the scale is 10, and the maximum score is 40. An increase in the score obtained by the participant indicates that the level of general competence belief also increases. The Cronbach Alpha value of the scale is 0.92. The Cronbach Alpha value of the scale for this study was obtained as 0.875.

Data Collection The data were collected by the researchers between November-December 2024. The study was started after obtaining permission from the ethics committee and the institution. At the beginning of the study, the purpose and process of the study were explained to the students and the "Informed Voluntary Consent Form" and "Student Identification Form" were filled out. After this consent, other forms were applied to the students as a pre-test. Then, the students were separated into experimental and control groups with a random number table and the education date and information were shared with the students. In the study, the control group was given standard education with a skill model and the experimental group was given education with a computer-aided simulation. The forms were applied again as a post-test after each group.

Ethical Aspect of the Study Before starting the study, approval was obtained from the Istanbul Beykent University Non-Interventional Ethics Committee (Date: 18.11.2024 and Number: 72128186/635) and institutional permission was obtained from the Tekirdağ Namık Kemal University Faculty of Health Sciences. The students were informed about the study and written consent was obtained from the students who volunteered to participate in the study. The study was conducted according to the principles of the Helsinki Declaration.

Data Evaluation The data obtained in the study were analyzed using the SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) for Windows 25.0 program. Descriptive statistical methods were used in the evaluation of the data: number, percentage, mean, standard deviation. Differences between the rates of categorical variables in independent groups were analyzed with Chi-Square and Fisher exact tests. Independent groups t-test was used to compare quantitative continuous data between two independent groups. Dependent groups t-test was used to compare within-group measurements. The results were evaluated at a 95% confidence interval and significance was at p<0.05.