Perceived benefits of the use of learning contracts to guide clinical education in respiratory care students.

BACKGROUND The benefits of contract learning have been identified in the literature as increased individualization to meet the student's individual needs, promotion of learner independence, and development of lifelong learning behaviors among students. METHODS I used an "action research" approach to implement the contract-learning method into a clinical course. Clinical learning contracts were designed to provide students with the opportunity to focus on any identified areas of unsatisfactory or desired practice. The learning contract specified how the learner would acquire the knowledge and attitudes relevant to their selected learning experience. The learning contract was used as a learning tool and as evidence of the student's development in the clinical experience. Twenty-four senior respiratory therapy students in the College of Health Related Professions, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, prepared and used learning contracts during their Clinical Practicum IV. After they had completed the clinical practicum and received their grades, I surveyed the students about their experience with the learning-contract method. The surveys were administered anonymously. RESULTS Twenty-one students (88%) returned the surveys. The respondents were overall quite optimistic regarding learning contracts. They generally agreed that they could use the learning contract with confidence and that there is an increase in student autonomy and motivation in scholarship with a learning contract. The median agree/disagree ratings on the survey ranged from 1 (strongly agree) to 2 (agree). CONCLUSIONS Contract learning is favorable to students' knowledge and skill acquisition and can be incorporated into clinical education of respiratory care students.