The Bridging Approach: Effective Strategies for Teaching Ethnically Diverse Nursing Students

Abstract

This article describes one of the five patterns of teaching, the bridging pattern, which was identified by the author in a previous qualitative study that investigated the processes by which nurse educators teach ethnically diverse nursing students. An overview of the original study is presented, followed by a discussion of the findings regarding the bridging pattern. Data were obtained through in-depth interviews with 26 nurse educators and 17 nurses representing three population groups: Asian Americans, African Americans, and Mexican Americans. In the bridging pattern, educators encourage students to maintain their ethnic identity, and teaching-learning strategies are modified to meet the cultural needs of students. The conditions, actions and consequences involved in the bridging approach to teaching are described and examples that emerged from the data are presented as illustrations. Examination of the actions of the bridging faculty may assist educators to analyze their own approach to teaching ethnically diverse students.