Legitimation Code Theory's role in shaping nursing education: An integrative review.

BACKGROUND: In response to the increasing diversity in nursing education, the Legitimation Code Theory (LCT) offers a transformative approach to understanding and addressing the unique learning needs of students from various backgrounds. OBJECTIVES: To identify how Legitimation Code Theory has informed the design of professional education in biological and health sciences. DESIGN: An integrative review was conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) and guided by the five-step process by Whittemore and Knafl. DATA SOURCES: A comprehensive search of eight databases was conducted (IEEEXplore, Scopus, Web of Science, ProQuest central, EBSCOHost, MEDLINE with full text, CINAHL and INFORMIT) using key concepts: Legitimation Code Theory and professional education from inception until November 2023. REVIEW METHODS: All studies were reviewed by two researchers independently. The same authors appraised the studies using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool with a third author providing consensus. The findings were coded and analysed using narrative synthesis. RESULTS: From the initial 518 records screened, 11 studies were identified where Legitimation Code Theory was used in biological and health science education. There were four themes identified in the review: a) Legitimation Code Theory as a framework for data analysis; b) Identifying and enhancing learning outcomes through Legitimation Code Theory; c) Pedagogy design informed by Legitimation Code Theory; and d) Legitimation Code Theory to contextualise disciplinary knowledge. CONCLUSION: This review highlights the significant influence of Legitimation Code Theory on professional education, particularly in the biological and health sciences. The versatility and effectiveness of Legitimation Code Theory are evident across various disciplines, including nursing education. As a comprehensive framework, Legitimation Code Theory not only aids in pedagogy design but also facilitates the transfer of learning, thereby promoting critical thinking. This demonstrates its robustness as a tool in the realm of professional education.

Understanding the processes, practices and influences of calibration on feedback literacy in higher education marking: A qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: In the University setting, striving for consistency and reliability of assessment evaluation is essential to reducing the impact of marking variations. Marking processes such as consensus calibration have the potential to reduce issues which arise from the influence of markers professional knowledge and experience, as well as fixed and acquired marking habits. Furthermore, the influence of marker feedback which supports learning development is associated with the feedback literacy of both the teacher and the student. A gap is currently present in the literature as these practices are not discussed together. OBJECTIVES: To explore how nursing academics perceive and understand calibration practices and associated feedback literacy. DESIGN: Theoretical underpinnings in participatory and person-centred research methodology supported the critical ontological perspective of this study where the intent of the research was to explore the reality that exists within the context where the research was conducted. SETTING: A single School of Nursing in an Australian University with six campuses spanning metropolitan, regional and rural sites. PARTICIPANTS: Nursing academics and casual tutors with various levels of experience in assessment marking and feedback. METHODS: Semi-structured group interviews that were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. RESULTS: Four overarching themes were identified; rubrics, calibration, feedback and justice. CONCLUSION: Calibration improves staff cohesion, fosters better practices and consistency, and permits nuanced interpretation of assessments while maintaining uniformity. Enhanced feedback literacy that integrates principles of equity, justice, and learner-centeredness is required. Fundamentally calibration guides educators toward holistic approaches that foster consistency, equity, and thorough feedback practices.

Applying Legitimation Code Theory to teach breastfeeding in nurse education: A case study.

AIM: To use Legitimation Code Theory as a framework to inform the design of nursing education and gain insights into student perspectives of this design. BACKGROUND: Internationally, the World Health Organization's breastfeeding recommendations are not being met. One contributing factor is that healthcare providers including registered nurses lack the knowledge to support breastfeeding women on an ongoing basis and rely on their personal experiences to inform the care they provide. Undergraduate nursing students should receive education to assist breastfeeding women in practice. DESIGN: The study is underpinned by case-study methodology. The Legitimation Code Theory (LCT) dimension of Semantics and the concepts of semantic gravity and semantic density were used to theoretically frame and develop an intervention module to teach undergraduate nurses about breastfeeding. METHODS: This module was part of an elective seven-week paediatric nursing course. University Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC201/203) reviewed the study. Participants (n = 9) completed semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis helped us to understand their experiences of the module. The Template for Intervention and Description and Replication (TIDeR) framework was used to report the intervention. RESULTS: The breastfeeding module was positively received by participants who noted the module's structure differed from previous courses. Three main themes were identified in the student experience. These are: a) threads and links; b) engaging structure; and c) seedlings. CONCLUSION: Legitimation Code Theory is an effective course development framework to harness the learners' prior informal knowledge and weave learning activities between theory and contextual practice to develop cumulative knowledge. IMPACT: With an increased understanding of how undergraduate nursing students develop knowledge, the LCT dimension of Semantics can be ussed to structure content knowledge in instructional design. This approach builds explicit bridges between knowledge development in the nursing curriculum and learners' informal knowledge and contextual practice in clinical settings.

What knowledge of breastfeeding do nursing students hold and what are the factors influencing this knowledge: An integrative literature review.

AIM: The aim of this review was to explore the preregistration nursing students' breastfeeding knowledge and the sources they used to develop that knowledge as a health care professional. BACKGROUND: New registered nurses do not feel prepared to support breastfeeding women in neonatal and paediatric settings. RESULTS: Preregistration nursing students have sufficient knowledge of the physiology of lactation but insufficient knowledge on supporting women to decide on the practical aspects of breastfeeding and its challenges for healthy or sick babies. The sources of knowledge included the students' personal experiences and the education and training that they received during their nursing course. The two themes extracted from the data that related to the sources of knowledge were: a) informal knowledge through experience and b) formal education. CONCLUSIONS: There is a need for new ways to align the students' informal sources of breastfeeding knowledge to their formal education, focusing on supporting women to make decisions on the practical aspects of breastfeeding, including the most common challenges. TWEETABLE ABSTRACT: Nursing students' knowledge of breastfeeding practice: an integrative review.