The effect of near-peer-assisted learning on self-efficacy and clinical performance of undergraduate nursing students during clinical internship: A quasi-experimental study

Background & Objective: Traditional clinical education methods have not been effective in improving students' clinical performance. Implementing near-peer assisted learning could help address many of the challenges nursing students encounter in their pursuit of effective learning.This study aims to determine the effect of near-peer-assisted learning on self-efficacy and clinical performance of nursing students during clinical internships. Materials & Methods: This study utilized a quasi-experimental design with a post-test control group. The statistical population included all nursing students participating in clinical internships at Jahrom University of Medical Sciences from 2021 to 2023, totaling 93 students selected through a census method. The intervention group, comprised of 52 students, participated in near-peer assisted learning, while the control group of 41 students received traditional instruction from university instructors. Students' self-efficacy was evaluated using the standard self-efficacy in the clinical performance questionnaire; thus, clinical performance was assessed using the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) scores at the end of each period. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 22, the t-test for mean score comparisons, and Chi-square test for qualitative data. Results: The mean self-efficacy scores were 139.16 ± 0.57 and 109.65 ± 0.89 for the intervention and control groups in post-test, respectively. The mean OSCE scores were 5.09 ± 0.29 and 4.85 ± 0.76 for the intervention and control in post-test. The independent t-test revealed a statistically significant difference in the mean self-efficacy scores between the two groups (p < 0.001, Effect Size = 0.95). However, no significant difference was found in the mean OSCE scores between the groups (p = 0.061, Effect Size = 0.43). Conclusion: The near-peer assisted learning method has a more significant impact on the self-efficacy of nursing students during clinical internships compared to traditional teaching methods. Furthermore, this approach can be as effective as instructor-led training in enhancing students' clinical performance. Therefore, it is recommended to integrate this method with other educational approaches to further improve clinical performance among nursing students.