Efficacy Of Microlearning And Social Media-Based Educational Interventions On Knowledge Retention In Nursing Students: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Background: The high-paced growth in educational technology has revolutionized the education field in nursing as microlearning and instructional approaches that utilize social media are becoming more prominent in terms of improving student interaction and learning. Nevertheless, there is still limited evidence on their effectiveness in regard to knowledge retention in nursing students. There is a need to conduct a thorough generalization of the literature to support an evidence-based curriculum development.

Objective: The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to determine the effectiveness of microlearning and social media-based educational interventions in promoting knowledge retention among nursing undergraduates in comparison with the traditional teaching teaching.

Methods: Literature search: The systematic search of the literature was done in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library publications older than 2015. They were experimental and quasi-experimental studies evaluating the effects of microlearning, social media-based, or blended interventions in nursing education. Two reviewers conducted data extraction and a review of the risk of bias based on PRISMA 2020 guidelines. The meta-analysis was done through a random-effects meta-analysis with standardized mean differences (SMDs) with a 95 percent confidence interval (CI). Heterogeneity, publication bias, subgroup and sensitivity analyses were done.

Results: The number of studies included was 18 at a population of 2,146 undergraduate nursing students. In general, interventions based on microlearning and social media demonstrated great effectiveness in terms of knowledge retention in comparison to the traditional teaching methods (pooled SMD = 0.68; 95% CI: 0.54-0.82). Microlearning interventions were more effective (SMD = 0.74) than only intervention based on social media (SMD = 0.59) and blended interventions resulted in the largest effect size (SMD = 0.81). Both immediate and late tests showed positive effects, which revealed long-term benefits of learning. The heterogeneity was moderate, however sensitivity analysis showed the strength of the results. No important publication bias was found.

Conclusion: Educational interventions that can be used effectively to improve knowledge retention in nursing students are microlearning and educational interventions based on social media. Combined methods that involve formal micro learning and social media engagement seem especially useful. The results justify the inclusion of technology-based, learner-focused teaching models in undergraduate nursing programs towards facilitating effective and long-term learning.