THE USE OF BLENDED LEARNING IN TURKISH NURSING EDUCATION:A SCOPING REVIEW

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background: The literature emphasizes the integration of innovative techniques alongside traditional learning in nursing education, especially heightened during the Covid-19 pandemic when in-person classroom-based learning faced limitations. This study aims to explore what extent blended learning (BL) has been employed in nursing education in Türkiye. Aims: This research aims to map the academic literature of existing research and debates about using BL in nursing education in the Turkish context and guide Turkish nursing educators by identifying and demonstrating existing evidence around BL techniques. Design: Scoping review. Methods: Prior to commencing the review, the scoping review methodological guidance provided by Peter et al. (2020) was diligently followed. To ensure clarity and structure, a protocol was developed, outlining the study’s objectives, research questions, search strategy, data sources, and search keywords. The scoping review was conducted following the five-stage framework proposed by Arksey and O’Malley (2005), which included identifying research questions, identifying relevant studies, study selection, data extraction, mapping, charting, collating, and summarising the results. To enhance the robustness of the methodology employed, the reporting of the scoping review adhered to the PRISMA extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) checklist by Tricco et al. (2018). This scoping review drew on Google Scholar and PubMed databases to search for relevant literature regarding blended learning in nursing education in Türkiye. To access a relevant and representative sample of the current literature, both English and Turkish keywords related to blended learning were searched for the last 5 years of time period. All study types were included for analysis. Results: The analysis included a total of 34 papers (in both Turkish and English languages). These studies presented evidence and discussions on the effectiveness and satisfaction levels associated with various BL techniques, such as distance learning, flipped classroom, web-based learning, and online education, across diverse nursing fields. Conclusion: The findings suggest that BL is partially utilized in undergraduate nursing programs in Türkiye, but there is room for improvement in its implementation and integration.