Participants
The participants were 120 junior and senior undergraduate nursing students on their pediatric nursing rotation; they were recruited from two universities located in Seoul, South Korea. The sample was homogeneous with regard to gender, age, and type of program in which they were enrolled. There were 109 women (90.8%) and 11 men (9.2%), a distribution typical of the overall undergraduate nursing student population. The mean age of the participants was 20.5 years, with a very limited age range of 20 to 21 years. This study was conducted in HFS laboratory, a space specifically designed to replicate a pediatric ward.
Procedures for Developing the SETc-dehydration
Content Composition
The first stage in developing the SETc-dehydration was to identify guidelines on caring for children with dehydration by means of a literature review of pediatric nursing textbooks and child health journals. We also established learning objectives and identified the elements of clinical judgment that are important when caring for children with dehydration, according to the LCJR dimensions of noticing, interpreting, responding, and reflecting (Lasater, 2007a).
The learning objectives were as follows:
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Understand the mechanism of fluid/electrolyte balance
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Assess the signs/symptoms of fluid/electrolyte imbalance
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Provide nursing care for children with fluid/electrolyte imbalance, and
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Apply the nursing process to children with dehydration