Strategies to improve the performance of learners in a nursing college Part I: Issues pertaining to nursing education

Abstract

Three focus group interviews were conducted. One group was formed by seven tutors, and the other two groups were formed by fourth-year learners following a fouryear comprehensive diploma course. All participants voluntarily took part in the study. Data was analyzed using the descriptive method of open coding by Tesch (in Creswell, 1994:154-156). Trustworthiness was ensured in accordance with Lincoln and Guba’s (1985:290-326) principles of credibility, conformability, transferability and dependability.<br /> The findings were categorized into issues pertaining to nursing education as follows: curriculum overload; lack of theory and practice integration; teaching and assessment methods that do not promote critical thinking; tutors’ lack of skills and experience; inadequate preparation of tutors for lectures; insufficient knowledge of tutors regarding outcomes-based education approach to teaching and learning; inadequate process of remedial teaching; discrepancies between tutors’ marking; lack of clinical role-models and high expectations from the affiliated university as regards standards of nursing education in a nursing college. Strategies to improve the learners’ performance were described. It is recommended that these strategies be incorporated in the staff development programme by the staff development committee of the nursing college under study for implementation. Future research should focus on the effectiveness of the described strategies to improve the learners’ performance. It is also recommended that similar studies be conducted or replicated in other nursing colleges to address the problem of poor performance of learners engaged in a four-year comprehensive diploma course

Theory – Practice Gap: Challenges Experienced by Nursing Students at the Satellite Campus of a Higher Education Institution in Namibia

“…The current study findings correlate with findings of recent study conducted by Nuuyoma, Louw and Van der Merwe (2017) in the same setting, where the students identified a need for clinical mentors and proposed time allocation for clinical mentors in their timetable for provision of feedback. The above finding also concur with those from studies conducted by Cassimjee and Bhengu (2006), Waterson et al, (2006) and Maselele, Tjallinks and Norval (2001) who identified that nursing students were receiving inadequate clinical supervision, teaching and accompaniments, as clinical facilitators would stay for three months without doing clinical visits. Therefore, it was not surprising that the student respondents presented with high levels of stress due to limited teaching and supervision and the registered nurse's rejection of their teaching role in the wards.…”

An Exploration of the Professional Socialisation of Student Nurses

“…These statements raised the issue of a lack of sincerity about their education and apathetic attitudes among students. These findings concur with the findings of Waterson et al (2006) who maintain that students lack respect for their supervisors.…”

Challenges of Nurse Tutors’ Classroom and Clinical Performance When Teaching

“…The integration of knowledge, skills, attitudes and values in a specified context is one of the cornerstones advocated by the outcomes-based approach to teaching nursing [3]. Such integration yields nurse tutor performance that must promote the professional care to patients.…”