Active teaching/learning methodologies: difficulties faced by the faculty of a nursing course

Abstract

The study aimed to identify the difficulties experienced by faculty in the implementation of active methodologies in the undergraduate course in nursing at a federal institution in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. This was an exploratory and descriptive survey using a qualitative approach. The semi-structured interviews were applied to twenty subjects in August and September 2011 and, subsequently, analyzed pursuant to content analysis assumptions. The main adversities listed by the research subjects were grouped into three analysis categories: Curricular issues as an impediment to the application of active teaching/learning methodologies; professor resistance to the implementation of active teaching/learning methodologies; and difficulty in understanding the applicability of active teaching/learning methodologies in the teaching practice. Faced with such difficulties, it was necessary to introduce new ways to organize and produce knowledge, since the use of active methodologies could favor the training of subjects with an enhanced view on health who are active and committed to the transformation of reality. Understanding the use of active methodologies is critical to meeting the assumptions of the contemporary educational paradigm.