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.

Emotional Intelligence, Academic Motivation, and Achievement among Health Science Students in Saudi Arabia: A Self-Deterministic Approach

PURPOSE

This study used a self-deterministic approach to explore the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI), academic motivation (AM), and achievement among health science students.

METHODS

A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in three cities of Saudi Arabia (Dammam, Riyadh, and Jeddah). A convenience sample of 450 students was incorporated using the multistage cluster sampling technique. The online survey contained three sections: students' basic data and academic achievement level, the modified Schutte self-report inventory, and the Academic Motivation Scale lowercase.

RESULTS

This study revealed moderate overall scores for EI (57.1%), AM (55.6%), and grade point average (GPA) (57.6%). The overall EI score, its domains, and GPA had significant positive correlations with overall AM and intrinsic and extrinsic motivation (p < .01). Amotivation had an insignificant correlation with GPA (p < .05), but it was negatively correlated with EI and its domains (p < .01). Multiple regression analysis proved that EI domains predicted 5.0% of GPA variance; emotions appraisal and expression (β = .02, p = .024), regulation (β = .11, p = .032), and utilization (β = .24, p < .01). EI domains also predicted 26.0% of AM variance; emotions appraisal and expression (β = .11, p = .04), regulation (β = .33, p < .01), and utilization (β = .23, p <.01). Moreover, AM predicted 4.0% of the variance in GPA; intrinsic (β = .25, p = .004) and extrinsic (β = .11, p = .022) motivation. AM also predicted 25.0% of the variance in EI: intrinsic (β = .34, p < .01) and extrinsic motivation (β = .26, p = .026).

CONCLUSION

EI and AM have a bidirectional influence on each other, significantly shaping the GPA of health sciences students in Saudi Arabia, where intrinsic motivation has a predominant role. Thus, promoting students' AM and EI is recommended to foster their academic achievement.

Grit, Resilience, Mindset, and Academic Success in Physical Therapist Students: A Cross-Sectional, Multicenter Study

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationships between noncognitive traits (grit, resilience, and mindset-type), academic success, and clinical performance in physical therapist students.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study using self-administered surveys was undertaken with final-year physical therapist students enrolled in 4 Australian universities. Participants completed validated questionnaires measuring grit, resilience, and mindset type. Academic transcripts were obtained to quantify academic success and clinical performance. A multiple regression analysis explored predictors of academic success and clinical performance in relation to sociodemographic factors, grit, resilience, and mindset type.

RESULTS

A total of 266 students participated in the study (80% recruitment rate). Overall, 25% of students had low resilience, 20% had low grit, and 14% had a fixed mindset type. Grittiness was positively associated with academic success (r = 0.24) and clinical performance (r = 0.22) and negatively associated with failing a clinical placement (r = -0.20). Grit was an independent predictor of overall academic success (β = 0.24, P ≤ .01) and clinical performance (β = 0.15). Students with low grit were twice as likely to fail a clinical placement compared with students with moderate or high grit (risk ratio = 2.03, 95% CI = 1.06 to 3.89).

CONCLUSION

Grit was an independent predictor for overall academic success and clinical performance in final-year physical therapist students. Low grit may impact negatively on learning and students' ability to cope with challenges associated with university studies and clinical education. Further studies should investigate interventions that best develop grit in health professional students and the overlapping nature of grit, resilience, and a growth mindset.

IMPACT

This study helps universities and educators understand noncognitive factors predicting academic success and clinical performance in physical therapist students. Universities and clinical educators may consider screening and providing proactive strategies for students with low grit to improve success and general wellbeing.

Translation and Cultural Adaptation of NIH Toolbox Cognitive Tests into Swahili and Dholuo Languages for Use in Children in Western Kenya

OBJECTIVES

Performing high-quality and reliable cognitive testing requires significant resources and training. As a result, large-scale studies involving cognitive testing are difficult to perform in low- and middle-income settings, limiting access to critical knowledge to improve academic achievement and economic production in these populations. The NIH Toolbox® is a collection of cognitive, motor, sensory, and emotional tests that can be administered and scored using an iPad® tablet, reducing the need for training and quality monitoring; and thus, it is a potential solution to this problem.

METHODS

We describe our process for translation and cultural adaptation of the existing NIH Toolbox tests of fluid cognition into the Swahili and Dholuo languages for use in children aged 3-14 years in western Kenya. Through serial forward and back translations, cognitive interviews, group consensus, outside feedback, and support from the NIH Toolbox team, we produced translated tests that have both face validity and linguistic validation.

RESULTS

During our cognitive interviews, we found that the five chosen tests (one each of attention, cognitive flexibility, working memory, episodic memory, and processing speed) were generally well understood by children aged 7-14 years in our chosen populations. The cognitive interviews informed alterations in translation as well as slight changes in some images to culturally adapt the tests.

CONCLUSIONS

This study describes the process by which we translated five fluid cognition tests from the NIH Toolbox into the Swahili and Dholuo languages. The finished testing application will be available for future studies, including a pilot study for assessment of psychometric properties.

Development of the Perth Adolescent Worry Scale (PAWS)

Tools to assess worry among adolescents exist but do not capture the content of worries. This study reports on the development of a brief, psychometrically sound measure of worry for use with adolescents. Phase 1 involved identification of 27 potential items from existing instruments as well as item generation identified in interviews with students, teachers, school psychologists, and parents. In Phase 2, the candidate items were completed by 835 Australian adolescents (317 males, 508 females, 10 unspecified; Mean age = 13.55, SD = 1.31) from Grades 5 to 10. These data were randomly split in half, and an exploratory factor analysis on the first half identified a two-factor solution with 12 items: Peer Relationships (6 items) and Academic Success and the Future (6 items). On the second half of the data, confirmatory factor analyses supported the factor structure and supported strong invariance across age, socioeconomic status, and presence/absence of a diagnosed neurodevelopmental disorder. Weak invariance was evident across sex. Differences across groups are reported as are correlations with indicators of psychological wellbeing. In conclusion, the Perth Adolescent Worry Scale provides both applied professionals and researchers with a short, easy-to-administer, and psychometrically strong instrument to evaluate adolescents’ everyday worries.

Measuring depression and anxiety prevalence among Iraqi healthcare college students using hospital anxiety and depression scale

OBJECTIVE

The study aimed to 1) measure the prevalence of depression and anxiety among Iraqi pharmacy and medical students at a number of universities in Baghdad using Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and 2) investigate the association between various sociodemographic factors and students' HADS scores.

METHODS

This study was based on a cross-sectional descriptive design in four universities in Baghdad, Iraq. Depression and anxiety were screened using an Arabic version of the HADS. An online survey was administered via Qualtrics to convenience samples of students at four colleges of pharmacy and a college of medicine between March and June 2018. Multiple linear regression was used to identify factors associated with depression and anxiety symptoms among the participants.

RESULTS

The researchers received 750 usable surveys. The participating students spent more time browsing social media (6.64 hours/day) than studying (1.92 hours/day) and exercising (2.83 hours/week). Approximately forty-six percent (45.9%) of the participants had scores that indicated depression symptoms and one-quarter (24.8%) had scores that indicated depression borderline symptoms. More than one-half (52.1%) of the participants had scores that indicated anxiety symptoms, while 20.1% had scores that indicated anxiety borderline symptoms. According to the multiple linear regression analysis, more depression and anxiety symptoms were significantly (p-value <0.05) associated with higher study hours weekly and lower sleep hours at night, academic achievement, and colleagues and family social support during exams.

CONCLUSIONS

Pharmacy and medical students may be vulnerable to depression and anxiety because of long study hours.. To reduce their levels of anxiety and depression, they may need more social support, more exercise, more sleep, less social media use and a lower academic workload.

Development of pharmacy competency framework for the changing demands of Thailand's pharmaceutical and health services

Background

In Thailand, pharmacists are responsible for all activities to ensure access to medicines throughout pharmaceutical supply chain. Competency framework (CF) is an important guidance for professional development and workforce planning.

Objective

This study aimed to explore needs for pharmacy services in pharmaceutical supply chain and competencies of pharmacists to serve those needs. It was the first step for developing evidence-based pharmacy CF within the context of Thailand in 2026.

Methods

A qualitative method using in-depth interviews to gain rich data from practitioners and leaders in all area of practices. 99 key informants from 56 workplaces in Thailand were interviewed during January and March 2016. Data was transcribed verbatim, and thematic analysis was used. Competencies were extracted, followed by several rounds of group discussion among team members to develop an initial framework. The competencies and CF were presented, and recommendations were gained from professional leaders for refining the findings.

Results

The key informants agreed that pharmacist's works and responsibilities have gradually been drifted to support changes in healthcare and pharmaceutical systems. The upcoming pharmaceutical services call for higher standards of practice, larger number of personnel, and skillful pharmacists who have strong foundation in pharmaceutical knowledge as well as an ability to integrate knowledge into practices. Two sets of CFs were established. The general CF comprises five core domains: product focus, patient focus, healthcare system focus, community focus, and personal focus for self-improvement. These general competencies allow practitioners to perform basic professional tasks, including providing information, dispensing, and compounding. The service-specific competency is the integration of general competencies tailored into specific area of practice.

Conclusions

Regarding the professional goal to evolve pharmacists from generalists to specialists for providing higher quality of professional services, the pharmacists are required to demonstrate general competencies and service-specific competencies. The findings serve as the need-based evidence for developing a national CF for pharmacists in Thailand.

Admissions criteria as predictors of first-term success at a chiropractic institution

OBJECTIVE

To determine the relationship between admissions criteria and grade point average (GPA) at the conclusion of the first-term of study at a chiropractic institution.

METHODS

Secondary data analysis was used on the Fall 2017 entering cohort of doctor of chiropractic students. Independent samples t-tests and ordinary least squares linear regression were used to explain the extent to which incoming undergraduate GPA, undergraduate chemistry grade, undergraduate anatomy and physiology grade, and age, respectfully, influenced the end-of-trimester GPA.

RESULTS

Linear regression found each of the four independent variables (undergraduate GPA, undergraduate chemistry grade, undergraduate anatomy and physiology grade, and age) to be significant influencers of end-of-trimester-1 GPA with undergraduate GPA being the most statistically significant predictor (p < .001).The difference in mean end-of-trimester GPAs for male and female students was not statistically significant. There also was no difference in mean end-of-trimester GPAs by race/ethnicity.

CONCLUSION

Current admissions requirements may need to emphasize incoming undergraduate GPA and target student support for older students. This study should be repeated for increased sample size, be performed at other chiropractic institutions, and consider additional cohorts to strengthen results.

More Than Their Test Scores: Redefining Success with Multiple Mini-Interviews

INTRODUCTION

Medical schools are shifting to a holistic approach for admissions. As non-cognitive abilities become more valued in the medical field and admissions become more competitive, multiple mini-interviews (MMI) are becoming increasingly common in selection criteria. The purpose of this article is to examine the relationship among admissions criteria to create a predictive model of acceptance to medical school. This article also aims to examine, among matriculated students, the relationship between MMI and traditional academic success, and the relationship between MMI scores and clinical competence and academic accolades.

METHODS

This longitudinal study followed a cohort of students from the MMI process through the first two pre-clinical years at a medical school in the southeastern USA. Multiple logistic regression with backward elimination variable selection was used to examine the relationship between admission criteria and acceptance. A multivariate multinomial ordered probit model was used to assess the relationship between MMI and traditional academic success among matriculated students. Simple linear regression models were used to assess relationships between MMI and Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) scores and honors nomination.

RESULTS

MMI are among eight significant predictors of acceptance. Among matriculated students, there were weak negative associations between MMI and traditional academic success; however, all but one relationship was statistically non-significant. There was not a significant association between MMI and OSCE scores or academic accolades.

CONCLUSIONS

While MMI can identify students with non-cognitive skills needed to be a good physician, continued assessment needs to be incorporated in their education.

Scarlet letters: The association of alternative admissions track plan status with key programmatic outcomes in a chiropractic training program

OBJECTIVE

In 2012, the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE) enacted new admission standards with related provisions under a new Policy 7, the Alternative Admissions Track Plan (AATP). The current study examined the relationships between typically admitted students and their AATP counterparts on three student success outcome measures: Graduation at the 150th percentile time frame, National Board of Chiropractic Examiners (NBCE) Part I pass rates, and completion of all four NBCE examinations within 6-months after graduation.

METHODS

The authors used three random samples (n = 1050) drawn from a relational database, containing program outcome variables and student characteristics. Assessment of the outcome measures occurred using Pearson χ² test of independence and the Φ coefficient effect size measure.

RESULTS

Significant relationships with small effect sizes and weak associations were found between AATP status and graduation at the 150th percentile (p < .01, Φ = .118) and NBCE Part I pass rates (p < .01, Φ = .114). No significant association between AATP status and NBCE Completion rates 6-months after graduation (p = .144, Φ = .045) was found.

CONCLUSION

The weak associations between variables indicate that AATP status did not meaningfully relate to the outcome variables. There likely are other subtle characteristics and attributes that influence successful completion of key programmatic outcomes. The weak associations found in the current study suggest that when governed under the same academic policies with equal access to support resources, there does not appear to be a meaningful association between the programmatic success of AATP and non-AATP students on key outcomes.

Evaluation of school-based interventions of active breaks in primary schools: A systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVES

To provide a systematic review of studies that investigated the effects of Active Break (AB) school-based interventions on Physical Activity (PA) levels, classroom behavior, cognitive functions, and academic performance in primary school children.

DESIGN

Systematic review and meta-analysis.

METHODS

Searches of electronic databases and grey literature, with no time restriction and up to April 2019, resulted in 22 intervention studies meeting the inclusion criteria. Quality assessment of the studies was performed in accordance with the Cochrane Tool for Quality Assessment for RCTs and the STROBE tool for observational studies.

RESULTS

Four AB related outcomes were analyzed: (i) AB interventions had a significant effect in increasing PA levels in primary school children, both in terms of increased moderate to vigorous PA and step count. The meta-analysis seems to confirm this trend, showing a statistically significant result for the step count (p<0.00001, CI95% -0.71,1.21) (random model I²=0%). (ii) Regarding classroom behavior, time spent on task (TOT) during lessons significantly increased in each of the included studies. On the other hand, the effects on (iii) cognitive functions (attention components, working memory, executive functions) and (iv) academic achievements (mathematics, reading) were not conclusive.

CONCLUSIONS

Positive effects were found for PA levels and classroom behavior, while the conflicting results for cognitive functions and academic achievements suggest that the effect could be more evident with curriculum focused active breaks and active lessons that integrate ABs with key learning aspects and cognitive engagement.

Influence of Motivation on Academic Performance among Dental College Students

AIM

This study aimed to assess the influence of motivation on academic performance among dental undergraduate students.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was carried out among a sample of 187 undergraduate dental students from the main dental colleges in the Riyadh region of Saudi Arabia using an electronic questionnaire. Students' academic performance was measured by their current grade point average (GPA). Motivation was assessed using the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ), which is a self-report instrument designed to assess students' motivational orientations and learning strategies in college, including goals and value beliefs for the studied program (intrinsic, extrinsic goals orientation and task value), beliefs about their skills to succeed in their studies (control of learning beliefs, self-efficacy for learning and performance), and their anxiety about program tests.

RESULTS

The results showed positive correlations between GPA and the motivation scale (r = 0.2296, p = 0.0019) and most of its subscales, including self-efficacy for learning performance (r = 0.2997, p = 0.0001), control of learning beliefs (r = 0.2305, p = 0.0021) and task value (r = 0. 2243, p = 0.0021). Test anxiety showed negative correlation with GPA (r = -0.1943, p = 0.0100). Compared to their counterparts, male students, students perceived to be from middle class families and students living with their families were consistently showing significant correlations between GPA and most of the motivation subscales.

CONCLUSION

It can be concluded that motivation for learning can influence the academic performance of dental students. This influence can be affected by factors such as sex, socioeconomic factors and family support of the students.