SCAFFOLDING STUDENT LEARNING IN CLINICAL-PRACTICE

For many years the profession has acknowledged a schism between theori es taught in the classroom and the practice of clinicians. This tends to arise from beliefs that knowledge which has been generalized (forma lized) can be readily transferred to informal settings (practice). Whi lst apprehension of formalized knowledge is crucial to professional de velopment, a mediator is necessary to demonstrate its relevance to pra ctice. A variety of solutions have been offered which all have value b ut without effective social support fail to resolve the problem. Findi ngs from a longitudinal study investigating the professional developme nt of pre-registration nursing students indicate the importance of spo nsorship by a member of clinical staff and participation in legitimate peripheral activities. In the absence of effective sponsorship, stude nts found it difficult to participate in clinical activities or to lea rn. As a result, their professional development during placements beca me stunted with subsequent implications for their professional future. Questions concerned with this phenomena were explored using documenta ry evidence supplied by research participants, observations of their p ractice and focused interviews throughout their programme. Sociocultur al or activity theories of human learning offer some attractive explan ations. One strategy is scaffolding which takes place within sponsored nursing activities and builds on the important concept of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), where speech becomes a tool to mediate le arning and development. As a diagnostic tool, scaffolding enables both supervisor and learner to recognize knowledge-in-waiting and knowledg e-in-use and hence learning need, thus stimulating opportunities for f urther learning and professional development beneficial to both learne r and supervisor. It provides a means for theory and practice to becom e integrated.