ResearchIn South Africa (SA), higher education students exhibit progressively poor success rates.[1] The Council on Higher Education (CHE) observed that only 35% of all first-year entrants graduate within 5 years.[1] In KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Province, SA, the majority of nurses are trained at a college of nursing, which has satellite campuses throughout the province. [2] There is, however, a high failure rate among these students, mostly in the first year of study. Because of academic failure, 22% of students leave the training programme after the first year [3] -a precarious situation, considering the shortage of professional nurses faced by the country. [4,5] In an attempt to address this high attrition rate, the admission criteria for entry into the programme were increased, but this did not have a noticeable influence on the pass rate.Students entering SA higher education institutions usually come from a wide range of cultural and social backgrounds, with resultant varying life experiences and educational opportunities, including different expectations, needs and academic potential.[6] Academic success does not entirely consist of one's application of intellectual capacity. There are many other factors that directly or indirectly affect academic success. These include the transition from secondary school to university, student motivation, study methods, teaching strategies, interaction between students, academic and social systems of the university, cultural expectations, psychosocial factors and lack of finances. [7][8][9][10] One or more of these factors could lead to stress, which could hinder academic potential by distracting students' focus from their studies. [11] Research has shown that self-concept positively affects the success of nursing students' ability to manage anxiety and stress related to studying.Specifically, if a student is confident in his/her ability and remains motivated, he/she is more likely to succeed academically, resulting in lower dropout rates. Whereas the overwhelming stress associated with test anxiety has a negative relationship with academic achievements, this could lead to a decrease in the academic success of students. [12] The nursing programme also contains both intensive coursework and practical components at hospitals, which may become overwhelming and stressful with regard to a student's ability to cope with examinations. [12] Attrition rates among nursing students remain high, irrespective of attempts by institutions to provide strategies such as selection in line with quality of students, and implementing student mentoring and tutoring.It is unknown whether the stress factors that affect students attending a large university with many different faculties are different from those of students who attend smaller tertiary institutions that train them in one particular course only. In nursing, stress factors related to the clinical learning environment are well documented. [10,13,14] The increased stress of nursing students is due to the simultaneous learning in both academ...

The characteristics of students entering tertiary education, including nursing programmes has changed in recent years, with a large majority studying with English as a second language (ESL). There is a high attrition of students in first year nursing education, due to failure in Anatomy and Physiology (A&P). This study aimed to determine whether ESL affects nursing students' success in A&P and whether there was a relationship between matric scores and those of A&P. A quantitative descriptive survey design was used to investigate whether ESL impacts on the success of first year student nurses in A&P. Respondents (n=248) with English as a first language achieved significantly higher marks in A&P1 than ESL students (p=0.003). There was also a positive correlation between A&P scores and matriculation points. We conclude that ESL students are disadvantaged when studying A&P in the English language and that interventions are required to improve learning in these students.

Introduction:There is a global shortage of nurses, particularly in South Africa where there is a scarce resource of professional nurses. Since KwaZulu-Natal College of Nursing (KZNCN) is tasked with the responsibility of training 86% of professional nurses in the province, it is unfortunate to lose 22% of these students through failure and attrition. Most of these failures are in the subject of Anatomy and Physiology. Aim of study:The aim of the study was to establish factors that impact on the success in Anatomy and Physiology in first year student nurses affiliated to KZNCN, in a South African context. Methodology: A quantitative descriptive survey research design was used to establish relationships between variables that impact on nursing students’ success in Anatomy and Physiology. Results: The majority of respondents were Black (86.7%) from rural areas (61.3%) of KwaZulu-Natal. Their nurse training was in English as a second language (78.6%) but most respondents felt that they were coping well with being taught in English (p < 0.001). However, respondents with English as a first language obtained significantly higher marks in Anatomy and Physiology I (p = 0.003) and there was a good correlation between matriculation English and Anatomy and Physiology II results (p = 0.02). There was also a good correlation between matriculation Biology/Life Science mark and Anatomy and Physiology I marks (p < 0.001). Additionally, good performance in Anatomy and Physiology I was a good indicator for success in Anatomy and Physiology II (p < 0.001). A significant number of respondents found the academic workload, financial stressors and long working hours stressful but engaged in positive coping skills to address these. Conclusion: Prior knowledge in English and Biology/Life Sciences has a significant positive impact on student performance in Anatomy and Physiology.