A Literature Review on Factors Affecting the Academic Performance of Undergraduate Nursing Students in a Sri Lankan University Context

Abstract

This article explores various cutting-edge strategies Sri Lanka might use to modernize its nursing curriculum in order to tackle contemporary issues. Employers search the world over for nursing experts who have the skills necessary to meet the modern requirements of the world healthcare system. It is now vital to enhance nursing education in order to extend its focus, deliver more remarkable patient care, and increase the retention and persistence of the students. Nursing students in Sri Lankan institutions place a premium on academic achievement. Meanwhile, many factors that impact nursing students' academic success have been studied, yet many issues still exist. The current study employed a review technique to examine the literature on undergraduate nursing students' academic performance in a Sri Lankan university context, as well as numerous factors influencing nursing students' performance. The relevant literature for the article was gathered from the Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), PubMed, and Google Scholar. The search was restricted to the English language. The paper illustrates how both internal and external factors have an impact on academic performance and outlines measures to enhance the grades of nursing students. Internal factors include student-related factors, while external factors include teacher-related, institutional-related, and home-related factors. The student-related factors were investigated by allowing the students themselves to understand the factors and implement actions to improve their academic performance. Teachers play a major role in enhancing performance. This could be done by allowing them to identify problems encountered by students that impact their performance. The relevant educational institutions can promote different workshops and activities to enhance the thinking skills of students, as well as help teachers, understand the influences of their student's preferred learning methods that will enhance their performances. Parents can identify the matters that pertain to the studies of their children and enhance their performance by giving them support. The study has the benefit of identifying the factors affecting performance and giving suggestions for producing intelligent and skilled nursing graduates for the nation.