INTRODUCTION:

The rapid advancement of science and technology in the 21^st century characterized as the age of knowledge, in addition to changes in the structure of societies has made it essential for innovations in all areas, for example social economic, education and health areas. ¹Traditional teaching is concerned with the teacher being the controller of the learning environment. Power and responsibility are held by the teacher and they play the role of instructor (in the form of lectures) and decision maker (with regards to curriculum content and specific outcomes). ²Six Thinking Hats is an innovative technique designed by Edward De Bono which describes a tool for group discussion and individual thinking involving six colored hats. "Six Thinking Hats" and the associated idea of parallel thinking provide a means for groups to plan thinking processes in a detailed and cohesive way, and in doing so to think together more effectively. ³

The six hats each represent a frame of mind or a perspective

ü White Hat represents Neutrality, objectivity, facts, figures and missing information. The purpose is to present information that can be accessed for evaluation and to guide questions about the subject.

ü Red Hat represents Emotionality and gut feeling. This hat gives health care personnel permission to explain their own feelings and that of family members.

ü Black Hat represents Caution and points out the weaknesses. It can also be used to help patients, families and personnel thinking about the possible risk.

ü Yellow Hat represents Optimism, hope and positive thinking. Thinking is constructive and productive.

ü Green Hat represents Creativity and new ideas. This hat can ensure that there is time and attention given to think more creatively.

^üBlue Hat represents Control and organizing the thinking process of other hats. The blue hat is used for looking directly at the process of thinking. ³

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM:

A study to compare the perspective towards Six Thinking Hats and Traditional Teaching technique among baccalaureate nursing students at selected college of nursing, Kozhencherry.

OBJECTIVES:

· To assess the perspective of baccalaureate nursing students towards Six Thinking Hats Technique

· To assess the perspective of baccalaureate nursing students towards Traditional Teaching Technique.

· To compare the perspective of baccalaureate nursing students regarding Six Thinking Hats and Traditional Teaching Technique.

· To find the association between perspective of baccalaureate nursing students regarding Six Thinking Hats and demographic variables

· To find the association between perspective of baccalaureate nursing students regarding Traditional Teaching Technique and demographic variables.

HYPOTHESES:

H₁: There will be a significant difference between the perspective of baccalaureate nursing students towards Six Thinking Hats and Traditional Teaching Technique.

H₂: There will be a significant association between the perspective of baccalaureate nursing students towards Six Thinking Hats and Traditional Teaching Technique with demographic variables.

Conceptual Frame Work:

The conceptual frame work of this study is based on Von Bertalanffy. Systems theory studies the structure and properties of systems in terms of relationships, from which new properties of wholes emerge.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY:

· Research design –

Non-experimental design.

· Setting of the study

MGM Muthoot College of Nursing, Kozhencherry, Pathanamthitta District

· Population:

B.Sc. Nursing students in MGM Muthoot College of Nursing, Kozhencherry.

· Sample:

48 students (24 students for Traditional Teaching Technique and 24 students for Six Thinking Hats Technique) of 1^st year BSc Nursing in MGM Muthoot College of Nursing, Kozhencherry

· Sampling Technique:

Probability sampling- simple random sampling (Lottery method).

· Sampling criteria

· Inclusion criteria

1. Student nurses who were present at the time of data collection.

2. Student nurses who were willing to participate in the study.

3. Student nurses studying in 1^st year B.Sc Nursing.

· Exclusion Criteria

Student nurses studying for other nursing programmes like Pc BSc Nursing and MSc Nursing.

Description of tool:

The structured tool consists of two sections

Part 1:

Selected demographic variables such as Gender, Percentage of marks, Religion, Place of residence, Order of birth, Pattern of stay, Any previous information about Ebola Virus Disease.

Part 2:

Student Perspective Survey Form consisting of 20 items prepared from related information in the literature with choices such as ‘I do not agree’, ‘I am undecided’ to ‘I agree’.

Data Collection Process:

· Data was collected after conducting pilot study.

· Written consent was taken from 1^st year BSc Nursing students.

· Samples who full filled the inclusion criteria were selected by Simple random technique ( lottery method)

· Twenty four students received teaching regarding Ebola Virus Disease by Traditional technique

· Twenty four students received teaching regarding Ebola Virus Disease by Six Thinking Hat technique

· After the teaching, both the group Samples were provided with self administered Student Perspective Survey Form

· 15 minutes were allotted to complete the Student Perspective Survey Form.

· Data was kept confidential.

ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION:

The collected data was analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistics. Data were presented in tables and diagrams

Table 1: Data representing grading of samples based on baccalaureate nursing students perspective score

		Six Thinking Hats		Traditional Teaching
Score	Student perspective	Sample	%	Sample	%
31-40	Excellent	21	87.5%	10	42%
21-30	Good	3	12.5%	13	54%
11-20	Average	0	0	1	4%
0-10	Poor	0	0	0	0

Figure 1: Bar diagram representing the frequency distribution and percentage of baccalaureate nursing students perspective on Six Thinking Hats Technique.

Data represented in the table 1 and figure 1 shows that majority of the samples 21(87.5%) verbalized the Six Thinking Hats Technique as an excellent teaching method while 3(12.5%) conveyed that it is a good teaching method

Figure2: Cone diagram representing the frequency distribution and percentage of baccalaureate nursing students perspective on Traditional Teaching Technique.

Data represented in the table 1 and figure 2 shows that majority of the samples 13 (54.1%) verbalized the Traditional Teaching Technique is a good teaching method while 10(41.6%) conveyed that it is an excellent teaching method and 1(4.1%) verbalized it is an average teaching method.

RESULTS:

The findings of the present study shows that majority of the samples, 21(87.5%) verbalized that Six Thinking Hats Technique as an excellent teaching method while 3(12.5%) conveyed this method is good. 23(95.8%) samples revealed that Six Thinking Hats Technique helped them to produce creative ideas, understand the feelings of patient and developed creativity in them , 22(91.6%) conveyed that it helped them to respect the different ideas, analyze and synthesize the knowledge giving high quality care, understand different areas of disease in a better way ,and got a view regarding the positive and negative aspect of a disease

In Traditional Teaching Technique, 13(54.16%) of the samples conveyed that it is a good method and 10(41.67%) of the samples verbalized it as an excellent teaching method while 1(4.17%) verbalized that it is an average teaching method. 22 (91.6%) samples revealed that the Traditional Teaching increased their interest and motivation in the class, 20 (83.3%) verbalized that the teaching made them to analyze and synthesize the knowledge they had, 10 (41.66%) revealed that the teaching developed creativity while 12(50%) said that it was time consuming. The findings of the present study shows that there was no significant association between the perspective of baccalaureate nursing students towards traditional teaching technique and six thinking hats technique with selected demographic variables .

NURSING IMPLICATIONS:

l Nursing Practice:

ü Clinical nurse practitioners can make Six Thinking Hat model as a part of organizational culture and can provide resources for creative work.

ü Clinical nurses can use reflective thinking to give quality care in variety of

l Nursing Education:

ü Nurse educators can force the students to move outside normal habitual thinking style allowing necessary emotion and skepticism to be brought into what would otherwise be purely rational decisions.

ü Nurse educators can develop skills such as creativity, synthesis, ability to design, problem solving and critical thinking among student nurses.

ü Nurse educators can demonstrate how thinking more creatively about patients perceived needs and problems can improve the quality care.

ü Nurse educators can produce positive effects on student nurses’ academic performance using Six Thinking Hats method.

l Nursing Administration

ü Nurse administrators can improve skills such as decision making, information gathering or problem solving.

ü Nurse administrators can update knowledge by organizing in service and continuing education programmes.

· Nursing Research

ü Nurse researchers must develop newer instructional technology towards nursing education and practice on creating awareness of society regarding six thinking hats technique.

ü Nurse researchers can develop variety of teaching models

RECOMMENDATIONS:

l There is a need to prepare the student nurses to develop skills such as creativity, synthesis, ability to design, problem solving and critical thinking.

l There is a need to explore many similar studies in different settings.

l There is a need to identify creative and critical thinking skills among student nurses.

l Nursing curriculum should include innovative teaching and learning techniques.

l There is a need to study more about Six Thinking Hats technique among nurses.

l A comparative study can be done between different levels of nursing students.

l Study can be conducted among large samples.

l Student nurses must be exposed to innovative teaching styles.

l Promotion of well equipped education lab with qualified educators.

CONCLUSION:

The above research revealed that the Six Thinking Hats Technique method is an excellent teaching method as compared with Traditional Teaching. The ‘Six Thinking Hats’ model of learning is a beneficial method for creating a classroom atmosphere in which thoughts can be freely stated and considered within a disciplined structure. In particular, examining a subject from six different aspects helps to simplify complex thinking processes. The ‘Six Thinking Hats’ model is a method of learning that not only improved the student nurses creative and critical thinking abilities; it also had a positive effect on their empathy skills and academic performance. This will also help the student nurses to make the right decisions in their personal lives.

REFERENCE:

1. Karadag, M; Saritas, S and Erginer, E. Using the 'Six Thinking Hats' Model of Learning in a Surgical Nursing Class: Sharing the Experience and Student Opinion, The Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing Practice Vol. 26, No.3,Mar/May2009 [cited 23 Feb. 15].Available from: http://www.ajan.com .au\vol26\26-3.

2. Beck, Robert H. The Three R’s Plus: What Today’s Schools are Trying to Do and Why U of Minnesota Press. pp. 3–6. [cited 22 Feb. 15].Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_education

3. De Bono, Edward (1985).Six Thinking Hats: An Essential Approach to Business Management.. Little, Brown, and Company. ISBN 0-316-17791-1 (hardback) and 0316178314 (paperback). [cited 20 Feb. 15].Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_Thinking_Hats

4. Bono D E. Applications for (dB) New Think Retrieved May 14, 2008. [cited 20 Feb. 15].Available from http://www.debonogroup.com/applications.htm

5. Dlugan A. Six Thinking Hats And The public Speaker. [cited 20 Feb. 15].Available from: http://sixminutes.dlugan.com/six-thinking-hats/

6. Jones .E, Herber. R. Creativity in nursing research: Five thinking hats? ,International Journal Of Nursing Studies 48(2011) ,PP:143-144. [cited 20 Feb. 15].Availablefrom:http://spin.mohawkcollege.ca/courses/ademahannesr/Articles/5%20hat%20thinking%20copy.pdf

7. Torres R, Phan L, Wilbur C, Garrett, M. Process versus content: Integrating personal awareness and counseling skills to meet the multicultural challenge of the twenty-first century. Counselor Education and Supervision,41 ,PP: 28-40. [cited 20 Feb. 15].

Received on 30.03.2015 Modified on 22.04.2015

Asian J. Nur. Edu. and Research 5(4): Oct.- Dec.2015; Page 479-482

DOI: 10.5958/2349-2996.2015.00098.1