Comparing Learners' Psychomotor Skills and Anxiety During Standardized Patient Simulation Using Cooperative Versus Individual Practice: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Simulation has become increasingly important in teaching clinical nursing skills. Cooperative simulation practices based on social interdependence theory support skill acquisition by reducing student anxiety through practice. The aim of this experimental study, conducted with 60 junior nursing students, was to compare the effects of cooperative versus individual practice on psychomotor skill performance and student anxiety during simulation with a standardized patient. The results demonstrated that students who performed practice cooperatively had higher psychomotor skills scores and lower anxiety scores.