The Effect of Case-Based Learning on Nursing Students' Ethical Values and Perceptions of Caring Behaviors: A Randomized Controlled Study

This study was conducted as a single-center, two-parallel-group, pretest-posttest randomized controlled study with nursing students enrolled in a Professional Ethics course during the spring semester of the 2024-2025 academic year. A total of 79 students who met the eligibility criteria and agreed to participate were randomly assigned using the RAND function in Microsoft Excel to either the case-based education group (n=40) or the standard education group (n=39).

Both groups received standard theoretical education covering ethical values, ethical dilemmas, and the ethical decision-making process. After the theoretical education, baseline data were collected using the Personal Information Form, the Ethical Values Scale for Students in Health Sciences, and the Caring Behaviors Inventory-24.

Students in the case-based education group additionally participated in structured ethical case discussions for 30 minutes once a week over eight weeks. During these sessions, students identified ethical dilemmas and relevant ethical values, evaluated possible solutions, and explained their decisions with justification under the guidance of the researchers. Students in the standard education group continued the standard course without participating in the ethical case discussions.

Immediately after the eight-week intervention period, the Ethical Values Scale for Students in Health Sciences and the Caring Behaviors Inventory-24 were readministered to both groups. The primary purpose was to determine whether case-based learning improved students' ethical values and perceptions of caring behaviors compared with standard education.