The role that context plays in the teaching and learning space has been well documented, characterised as complex and dynamic, and changing in response to competing international and local demands. [1] This complexity has been recognised in health professions education, with calls for the adaptation of existing curricula that do not adequately equip graduates in the health professions to meet the needs of the communities they serve. [2,3] Understanding the context-the surroundings, circumstances, environments and settings within which learning must occur, particularly when seeking to inform such curriculum renewal processes-is therefore important. Several years ago, Harden [4] argued that an important aspect of curriculum development and renewal is the undertaking of a proper assessment of the learning environment, a dimension of context. The training of healthcare professionals requires that teaching and learning take place across a range of contexts that extend beyond the traditional classroom, and typically include the clinical space. Researchers in the field have explored context, arguing that this concept extends beyond the physical environment. [5] Its influence has been described as multifaceted, comprising the physical (environmental), semantic (contribution to the learning task) and affective (relating to motivation and responsibility) dimensions. [5] Context in health professions education has been described in terms of the setting, the participants and their interactions, [6] while others view it as six core patterns, including the patient, and the physical, practice, educational, institutional and social contexts. [7] In the field of nursing education, research exploring context and its influence on the learning experiences of nursing students has also been conducted. Studies have sought to determine the degree to which different entities within the educational context affect the learning experiences of nursing students, including the contribution made by the educator, [8] the type of supervision offered by the manager [9] and the dynamics within the team. [10] Work of other authors points to the psychosocial factors, physical resources and organisational culture within the learning contexts as critical elements influencing learning experiences. [11] It is evident that there are multiple factors within the educational context that may influence learning experiences, which ought to be considered. In South Africa (SA), nursing education is currently undergoing significant curriculum renewal across its range of undergraduate programmes. [12] Therefore, to better understand how the context influences teaching and learning, specifically among undergraduate nursing students, a scoping review was undertaken. Methods Scoping reviews are useful for reviewing and synthesising the available evidence, as well as identifying the 'nature and extent' of research available on a particular topic. [13] This scoping review was guided by the first 5 of 6 stages for review proposed by Arksey and O'Malley, [13] which inclu...
