What is it like to teach cultural safety in a New Zealand nursing education programme? : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Nursing at Massey University

Abstract

This thesis explores the experience of teaching cultural safety in a New Zealand nursing education programme. A qualitative approach was used to interview fourteen teachers about their experience of teaching in this area. The teachers were all women and most had taught in cultural safety education programmes for a number of years. Five were Maori and nine were Pakeha. The experience of teaching was different for both groups. The study asked the question "What is it like to teach cultural safety in a nursing education programme?" The participants revealed thoughts, feeling and experiences which together provided a picture of what the experience of teaching is like. Using thematic analysis three themes were generated from the data and analysed against a theoretical framework of power and knowledge derived from critical social theory and feminist influence. The findings of the study demonstrated that the experience of teaching is shaped by a number of factors. These include personal, political and professional factors. These form an integral part of the teaching experience and shapes what happens in the classroom situation. The findings also demonstrate that teachers have developed a high level of teaching skill in teaching a controversial subject. Although the teachers experience times of stress in teaching, this stress is balanced by moments of satisfaction and a sense that they are contributing to change in nursing and health care delivery in a way which reflects the realities of people using the health care system.