Primarily theory--Describes what learning contracts are, the origins and theory they are based on, and how they might be used in nursing education (including advantages and disadvantages). Also provides recommendations on how to incorporate learning contracts in nursing education.

Recommendations from article--

1 There is a continuing need to prepare both nurse tutors

assessor/evaluator of the learning experience. Therefore,

nurse educators and supervisors of practical

experience should be provided with opportunities to

develop appropriate skills. Paid educational leave

should be granted.

2 Learners must be assessed carefully for their readiness to

make the transition from pedagogical to andragogical

styles of learning, so that the transition becomes as

smooth and productive as possible.

3 There should also be an adequate teacher-student clinical

supervisor ratio, in order to maximize learning

on an individual or small group basis.

4 Negotiations should be maintained between basic and

post-basic nurse tutors, supervisors and students about

the state of teaching/learning in order that the learning

process begun in basic nurse education/training

becomes continuous, meaningful and relevant to individual

needs throughout the student's career. Perhaps

the learning contracts drawn up could be made sufficiently

'open' to facilitate for this development.

5 The transitional phase (from traditional to contract

learning methods) must be carefully managed and

monitored, proceeding at a measured gradual pace,

necessarily taking into account the essential preparation

of nurse tutors, mentors, students and others.

6 Pilot schemes adopting contract learning methods are

one way of estimatmg degrees of success or failure,

thereby generating some 'new' knowledge about

applicability to teaching/learning nursing.

7 Eclecticism should be encouraged so that 'essential'

features of contract learning are combmed with those

derived from other methods, thus forming an effective

alternative and clinical placement supervisors to the required

degree of quality, so that they are best able to assume

both the role of facilitator of learning and that of