Academic performance beyond the metrics: A qualitative content analysis of nursing students' perceptions.

AIM: To explore the undergraduate nursing students' perceptions about the factors influencing their academic performance. BACKGROUND: Academic performance is the measure for the achievement of learning objectives and skills development. Thus, the literature on nursing education has already pointed out the factors associated with this construct. However, it is essential to understand the in-depth influencers of academic performance from the perspective of nursing students. For this, it is essential to analyze not only numerical indicators, but also to understand the perceptions of undergraduate students about the factors that can influence this performance. DESIGN: Descriptive study with qualitative approach. METHODS: Twenty-two undergraduate nursing students were recruited from a Brazilian public university. Interviews were collected and submitted to Content Analysis, thematic modality, and discussed according to references of critical and humanist education. RESULTS: Two thematic categories emerged from the interviews representing the students' perceptions: 1. The student - history and relationships, with the thematic axis quality of previous education, intrafamily processes and roles, family support, socioeconomic aspects, interpersonal relationships, copping with difficulties, mental health, and physical well-being; and 2. Academic experiences and their challenges, with the thematic axis academic adaptation, professor's didactics and preparation, structure and support provided by the University, management of study time, and participation in extracurricular activities. The students saw them as intervening factors in their academic performance, physical and psychological well-being, established interpersonal relationships (including the relation with peers and professors), family structure, socioeconomic aspects, academic conditions, and the transition to higher education. CONCLUSION: From the perspective of students, socio-historical aspects and constructs established in relationships with colleagues and professors at the university are directly related to their academic performance and directly influence their ability to achieve the proposed learning objectives and acquire essential competencies for their education.

Influence of simulation design on stress, anxiety and self-confidence of nursing students: Systematic review with meta-analysis.

AIM: To evaluate the simulation design characteristics that may influence the stress, anxiety and self-confidence of undergraduate nursing students during learning. DESIGN: Systematic review with meta-analysis. DATA SOURCES: Searchers were conducted in October 2020 and updated in August 2022 in the databases CENTRAL, CINAHL, Embase®, ERIC, LILACS, MEDLINE, PsycINFO®, Scopus and Web of Science, PQDT Open (ProQuest), BDTD, Google Scholar and specific journals on simulation. REVIEW METHODS: This review was conducted according to the recommendations of Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews and reported according to the PRISMA Statement. Experimental and quasi-experimental studies that compared the effect of simulation on stress, anxiety and self-confidence of nursing students were included. The selection of studies and data extraction was performed independently by two reviewers. Simulation information was collected as prebriefing, scenario, debriefing, duration, modality, fidelity and simulator. Data summarization was performed by qualitative synthesis and meta-analytical methods. RESULTS: Eighty studies were included in the review, and most reported in detail the structure of the simulation, contemplating prebriefing, scenario, debriefing and the duration of each step. In subgroup meta-analysis, the presence of prebriefing, duration of more than 60 min and high-fidelity simulations helped reduce anxiety, while the presence of prebriefing and debriefing, duration, immersive clinical simulation modalities and procedure simulation, high-fidelity simulations and use of mannequins, standardised patients and virtual simulators, contributed to greater students' self-confidence. CONCLUSIONS: Different modulations of simulation design components imply reduction of anxiety and increased self-confidence in nursing students, especially highlighting the quality of the methodological report of simulation interventions. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: These findings help to support the need of more rigorous methodology in simulation designs and research methods. Consequently, impact on the education of qualified professionals prepared to work in clinical practice. No Patient or Public Contribution.

The simulation design in health and nursing: A scoping review.

AIMS: The aims of this study were to map the components of the simulation design in health and nursing and to propose a classification based on their definitions to support the planning of simulation-based experiences. DESIGN: Scoping review. METHOD: Searches were performed in the databases LILACS, Embase, MEDLINE/PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Science, Google Scholar and ProQuest Thesis and Dissertation were performed, without time limitation, to identify studies about simulation design. RESULTS: This study mapped 19 components of the simulation design found in 26 studies included, which can contribute to the development of simulation-based experiences, classified into structural, methodological and theoretical-pedagogical components. The simulation design can be described according to its fundamental components: structural-define the basic formulation of a simulation in terms of infrastructure and conceptual framework; methodological-define the participants, roles and the instruction format; and theoretical-pedagogical-define the educational references used to support the simulation strategy.

Effect of simulation on stress, anxiety, and self-confidence in nursing students: Systematic review with meta-analysis and meta-regression.

INTRODUCTION: Simulation is a promising strategy in health education, with evidence of importance for learning, but the available systematic reviews are still inconclusive about the effect of the strategy on stress, anxiety, and self-confidence of nursing students, which impact the adherence to and sustainment of this strategy. Thus, better evidence is needed of the impact of simulation on these competences, essential for health professional education. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of simulation-based experiences on stress, anxiety, self-confidence and learning of undergraduate nursing students compared to conventional teaching strategies or no intervention. DESIGN: Systematic review with meta-analysis and meta-regression. DATA SOURCES: The databases used included: CENTRAL, CINAHL, Embase®, ERIC, LILACS, MEDLINE, PsycINFO®, SCOPUS and Web of Science. Additional searches occurred in PQDT Open (ProQuest), BDTD, Google Scholar and journals with a specific scope in clinical simulation. REVIEW METHODS: This study was conducted by the recommendations of the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. Experimental and quasi-experimental studies that compared the effects of simulation on stress, anxiety, and self-confidence of nursing students were included. Study selection and data extraction steps were performed independently by two reviewers. Critical appraisal of the studies was managed by means of the risk of bias tools RoB 2 and ROBINS-I, and quality of evidence by means of the GRADE tool. Data summarization was performed by qualitative synthesis with descriptive analysis and quantitative synthesis by meta-analytic methods and meta-regression. RESULTS: Sixty-two studies were included covering an overall sample of 4570 undergraduate nursing students. When comparing simulation with other teaching strategies, simulation showed small effect size for anxiety (d = -0.33; 95% CI: -0.66-0.002; p = 0.051) and medium effect size for self-confidence (d = 0.71; 95% CI: 0.46-0.95; p < 0.001); there was no difference in the effect-size for stress (d = 0.04; 95% CI:-0.91-0.99; p = 0.90). Subgroup analyses showed an effect of methodological characteristics of the studies on students' anxiety and self-confidence. A positive relationship between self-confidence and learning was identified by meta-regression (p = 0.018; R2 = 20.96%). CONCLUSION: Simulation is an effective strategy for reducing anxiety and increasing self-confidence compared to conventional teaching strategies. Results are still inconclusive for stress. The use of simulation-based experiences in nursing education obtains positive results on anxiety and self-confidence in students, providing support for its implementation in undergraduate curricula to improve the education of qualified nurses. REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42020206077. TWEETABLE ABSTRACT: Simulation is an effective teaching strategy for reducing anxiety and increasing self-confidence in learning.

Academic performance, adaptation and mental health of nursing students: A cross-sectional study.

AIM: To evaluate the institutional indicators of academic success, performance and failure and to identify the factors that influence the performance, academic adaptation and mental health of nursing students. DESIGN: Descriptive, cross-sectional study. METHODS: Data collection was performed between April 2018 and January 2020, focusing on academic data of nursing students (n = 348) and answers to a questionnaire with active students of the course with at least two years since admission (n = 88). RESULTS: Academic data indicates negative trends on academic failure and dropouts. Mean academic performance was 7.56 out of 10 and ALEQ-r results showed high academic adaptation in all dimensions, except in the personal dimension of scale. The prevalence of depressive symptoms reported was 60.2% (95%CI: 49.8-70.1%) and presented as predictors of this condition both academic performance and adaptation. CONCLUSIONS: There was found a trend in academic failure and dropouts among nursing students, as well as a relevant prevalence of depressive symptoms despite good average of academic adaptation and academic performance.

Analysis of the factors related to academic disapproval in the education of nurses: A mixed-method study.

OBJECTIVE: to evaluate the frequency and factors associated to disapproval among nursing students. METHOD: a descriptive and cross-sectional study, outlined by the convergent mixed method. A total of 88 nursing students of a Brazilian public university took part. The Reduced Academic Experiences Questionnaire was used for evaluating academic adaptation. The association of the variables in the study with disapproval was verified by bivariate analysis. RESULTS: the frequency of disapprovals in the sample was 68.2%, recurrences in the same discipline in 39.8%, with the associated factors: age over or equal to 22 years old (p=0.015), family income below 2 minimum wages (p=0.019) and lag in the curricular flow (p<0.001). Disciplines with higher frequencies of disapprovals are of the basic area, taught in the first two years of the course and common to the health courses. Students without disapprovals had better perception of physical and psychological well-being (p=0.002), good interpersonal relationships (p=0.017) and more assertive study behaviors (p=0.005). Personal, study-related and institutional issues were motivating. CONCLUSION: the results reveal a high rate of disapproval, especially in the basic area. An association was found between disapprovals and mental health for nursing students during their education process, and difficulties were pointed out that can culminate with the disapproval rate in the curricular flow.

Analysis of the factors related to academic disapproval in the education of nurses: A mixed-method study / Análise dos fatores relacionados à reprovação acadêmica na formação do enfermeiro: estudo de método misto / Análisis de los factores relacionados con la reprobación académica en la educación de Enfermería: un estudio de método mixto

Objective: to evaluate the frequency and factors associated to disapproval among nursing students. Method: a descriptive and cross-sectional study, outlined by the convergent mixed method. A total of 88 nursing students of a Brazilian public university took part. The Reduced Academic Experiences Questionnaire was used for evaluating academic adaptation. The association of the variables in the study with disapproval was verified by bivariate analysis. Results: the frequency of disapprovals in the sample was 68.2%, recurrences in the same discipline in 39.8%, with the associated factors: age over or equal to 22 years old (p=0.015), family income below 2 minimum wages (p=0.019) and lag in the curricular flow (p<0.001). Disciplines with higher frequencies of disapprovals are of the basic area, taught in the first two years of the course and common to the health courses. Students without disapprovals had better perception of physical and psychological well-being (p=0.002), good interpersonal relationships (p=0.017) and more assertive study behaviors (p=0.005). Personal, study-related and institutional issues were motivating. Conclusion: the results reveal a high rate of disapproval, especially in the basic area. An association was found between disapprovals and mental health for nursing students during their education process, and difficulties were pointed out that can culminate with the disapproval rate in the curricular flow.

Objetivo: avaliar a frequência e fatores associados à reprovação entre estudantes de enfermagem. Método: estudo descritivo, transversal, delineado pelo método misto convergente. Participaram 88 estudantes de enfermagem de uma universidade pública brasileira. Para avaliação da adaptação acadêmica utilizou-se o Questionário de Vivências Acadêmicas Reduzido. A associação das variáveis do estudo com a reprovação foi verificada por análise bivariada. Resultados: a frequência de reprovações na amostra foi de 68,2%, reincidentes na mesma disciplina em 39,8%, com os fatores associados: idade maior ou igual a 22 anos (p=0,015), renda familiar inferior a 2 salários mínimos (p=0,019) e defasagem no fluxo curricular (p<0,001). Disciplinas com maiores frequências de reprovações são da área básica, ministradas nos dois primeiros anos do curso e comuns aos cursos da saúde. Estudantes sem reprovações apresentaram melhor percepção de bem-estar físico e psicológico (p=0,002), bom relacionamento interpessoal (p=0,017) e comportamentos de estudo mais assertivos (p=0,005). Questões pessoais, relacionadas ao estudo e institucionais foram motivadores apontados. Conclusão: os resultados revelam alto índice de reprovações, sobretudo na área básica. Foi encontrada associação entre reprovações e saúde mental dos estudantes de enfermagem durante seu processo de formação, e foram apontadas dificuldades que podem culminar com a taxa de insucesso no fluxo curricular.

Objetivo: evaluar la frecuencia y los factores asociados a la reprobación entre estudiantes de Enfermería. Método: estudio descriptivo y transversal, delineado por el método mixto convergente. Participaron 88 estudiantes de Enfermería de una universidad pública brasileña. Para evaluar la adaptación académica se utilizó el Cuestionario de Experiencias Académicas Reducidas. La asociación de las variables de estudio con la reprobación se verificó mediante análisis bivariado. Resultados: la frecuencia de reprobaciones en la muestra fue del 68,2%, siendo el 39,8% recurrente en la misma asignatura, con los siguientes factores asociados: edad mayor o igual a 22 años (p=0,015), ingreso familiar por debajo de 2 salarios mínimos (p=0,019) y desfase en el flujo curricular (p<0,001). Las asignaturas con mayor frecuencia de reprobación se encuentran en el campo básico, se imparten en los dos primeros años del curso y son comunes a los cursos de salud. Los estudiantes sin reprobaciones tuvieron una mejor percepción del bienestar físico y psicológico (p=0,002), buenas relaciones interpersonales (p=0,017) y conductas de estudio más asertivas (p=0,005). Cuestiones personales, relacionadas con el estudio e institucionales fueron motivadores señalados. Conclusión: los resultados muestran un elevado índice de reprobaciones, especialmente en el campo básico. Se encontró una asociación entre reprobaciones y la salud mental de los estudiantes de Enfermería durante su proceso de formación, y se señalaron dificultades que pueden culminar en el índice de reprobaciones en el flujo curricular.