Exploring Self-Efficacy and Perceived Learning from Failure in Healthcare Education

Abstract The transition from didactic learning to clinical practice poses significant challenges for physical therapy students, particularly in acute care environments that include a variety of ill-structured healthcare problems. To better prepare practitioners, simulation-based learning environments (SBLEs) in allied health education provides realistic patient scenarios that mirror the challenges students will encounter within acute care settings. While various measures have been documented related to problem-solving and affective learning in SBLEs, additional research is needed regarding how students learn from failure and their related outcomes. Based on the gap, this study sought to understand the degree to which participation in a simulation impacts self-efficacy and perceived learning from failure for allied health students ( n = 51). Results found no statistically significant scores on self-efficacy (Research question 1.B) or perceived learning from failure (Research question 2.B) depending on whether learners initially experienced or observed the SBLE. However, the study found statistically significant gains on self-efficacy (Research Question Q1.A) and perceived learning from failure (Research Question Q2.A) from the overall SBLE experience. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.