Inviting teaching behaviors of clinical faculty and nursing students' anxiety

This study explored baccalaureate nursing students' perceptions of inviting teaching behaviors of clinical nursing faculty and students' state anxiety while interacting with faculty during clinical experiences. A total of 229 junior and senior generic baccalaureate nursing students comprised the sample. Participants completed three questionnaires: a demographic data questionnaire, the Clinical Teaching Survey, and a Self-Evaluation Questionnaire, designed to measure state anxiety. Results indicated there were moderate negative correlations between students' perceptions of the personally and professionally inviting teaching behaviors of clinical faculty and students' self-reports of state anxiety. A step-wise multiple regression analysis revealed that perceptions of personally inviting teaching behaviors explained 41% of the variance in students' state anxiety. Junior students rated faculty higher on personally and professionally inviting teaching behaviors than did senior students. However, both groups of students scored similarly on self-reports of state anxiety while interacting with clinical faculty. Findings indicate that clinical faculty should be intentionally aware of how their teaching behaviors are perceived by students and influence student anxiety during clinical experiences.