Abstract:

Background:
What makes us unique is how we perceive the stimuli that surround us. In this context, the role of teachers becomes crucial in what they can contribute to the student body with regard to awareness of the vector/vehicle more effective with each manages and processes the information it receives. This perception influences the thought, determines how you reach conclusions and, consequently, affects the decision-making process. The present research was conducted at the School of Nursing, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.

Objectives:
In this study we aim to have a better understanding on the methodology implemented – Breastfeeding Observation Form – according to the cyclical nature of research in clinical environment. It was our intent through the goals and assumptions of the Action Research methodology improve educational practice in Clinical Teaching.

Methodology:
This research is characterized as qualitative and diagnostic character. Concomitantly, we also have a participant observation, taking the field research as an object of study, itself, recording the facts as they occur and trying to understand the relationships establish on the natural clinical environment. The sample has 91 elements that are the body of students of the 3rd year of Bachelor's degree of Nursing Clinical Education in the area of Obstetrics – Puerperium. Two separate analyses were made and later combined to establish the validation of the new assessment. On the first analysis the researcher took on dual status (teacher/investigator) and has had a participant observation. The second analysis, the sample completed a questionnaire, with open and multiple closed questions to assess the acceptance.

Results and implications for the practice:
With regard to the characterization of the sample, this consists of college Portuguese students from middle-classes with the feminine gender as the majority of the group, in which the predominant age is between 20 and 22, representing 73.64% of the sample, the remaining 26.36% is distributed evenly over the remaining classes. As for the scientific work it was asked the use of - Breastfeeding Observation Form, an official form established by UNICEF/WHO - by the student’s body as a technique for research in their case study in clinical environment. The use of this technique as an innovative pedagogical methodology character since it never been use as a tool for assessing data. In our study it was possible to verify that most of the individuals studied were found to an awareness and capacity-building to achieve the desired goal. The majority of the subjects stated the use of the evaluation guide eased their internship allowing them to be more focused on the observation of specific clinical details. In this context, the tensions, frustrations (which can promote failures in the learning process) were replaced by the oriented tension of the breastfeeding observation form that generates a feeling of support by the guidelines and global criteria and thus takes as opportunities to growth. On the other hand the development of methodical thought was an outcome in this study. In this respect, 89.78% of the subjects had followed the methodology as a spur for the development of critical thinking referring an increased commitment to the learning of the techniques.

Keywords:

Clinical learning, clinical teaching, innovation, Breastfeeding Observation Form.