간호대학생의 「통일과 간호」교과목 수강 경험: 북한사람에 대한 이해

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to understand a change in the awareness of nursing college students on the unification of the Korean peninsula and health care systems after providing unification and nursing education. Methods: After taking all sessions of the classes, seven participations responded in a semi-conducted focus group interview. The data were analyzed by qualitative content analysis. Results: Three themes and eight categories were deduced. Curiosity and expansion on an unfamiliar subject, and expansion of personal experience related to North Korea/Koreans were identified in the theme of challenges to the ‘unification and nursing’ subject. Confusion due to inconsistency with existing information, the realization of undiscerning attitude/judgement toward North Korea, and empathy and changing views of North Koreans were identified in the theme of expansion of the awareness for North Korea/Koreans. The beginning of a specific concern, the repetition of history, and North Korea still far away were identified in the theme of divided views of the imperativeness of unification. Conclusion: Through the findings of this study, we could examine how students in this study had deepen their understandings in terms of North Koreans beyond their personal experiences by taking the course of 『unification and nursing』.