Peer education versus traditional education on psychomotor skills and self–efficacy in nursing students: a single–blind randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Background

Peer education (PE) refers to the process of individuals being educated by their peers, that is, people with similar experiences or statuses. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of PE on the psychomotor skills and self-efficacy of nursing students.

Methods

This single-blind randomized controlled trial was conducted with 63 undergraduate nursing students. Data were collected using the “Individual Descriptive Information Form”, “Intramuscular Injection Knowledge Level Assessment Form”, “Intramuscular Injection Psychomotor Skills Assessment Form”, and the “General Self-Efficacy Scale”. Descriptive statistics (numbers, percentages, means, standard deviations, and min–max values) were used. The independent samples t-test and Mann–Whitney U test were used to analyze differences between groups.

Results

The mean age of the participants was 21.22 ± 0.85 years (range: 20 – 23), and 52.4% were female. No statistically significant differences were found between the groups in pretest, posttest, or self-efficacy scores (p > 0.05). However, the psychomotor skill levels differed significantly between the groups (p < 0.001), with the intervention group scoring higher than the control group.

Conclusions

Nursing students who received PE demonstrated significantly better psychomotor skills than those taught using traditional methods. It is recommended to integrate interactive learning strategies such as PE, where students can express themselves more freely and actively engage in the learning process, especially in nursing education areas requiring the development of psychomotor skills.