A Mixed Methods Study on factors which Influence the performance of the Nursing Students of the Barbados Community College in the Regional Examination for Nurse Registration.

Abstract

This study was designed to examine possible factors which had the potential to affect the performance of student nurses of the Barbados Community College (BCC) in the Regional Examination for Nurse Registration (RENR), and to determine whether their occurrence was unique to BCC. The methodology used was mixed method and employed the use of two questionnaires, a focus group of nine students and six interviews of faculty of the Nursing Department. The quantitative data was generated from questionnaires completed by 74 final year nursing students, and 80 graduates of the nursing programme. The qualitative data was gathered through the conduct of six interviews of faculty and a focus group discussion of final year students. Additionally, data in relation to the performance of students in the RENR for a six year period (2007-2012), and the GPA of the graduates, and their performance in the four RENR examination papers were analysed to determine if there were any relationships between the data and its significance to the performance of the students in the examination. The study concluded that there were factors which needed to be addressed in relation to student performance, such as curriculum reform, review of clinical supervision, and the development of a course to mitigate the poor performance of students in essay writing. There is also a need to increase the amount of time allocated towards student preparation for the RENR, and the provision of greater tutorial support. The BCC will therefore need to examine from a standards and quality perspective the factors such as age, gender and GPA, and their impact on the performance of the students in the RENR examination. These factors will play a pivotal role in the adjustment of the nursing curriculum to promote improved student performance in the RENR.

Date of Award	4 Apr 2016
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bath
Supervisor	Ian Jamieson (Supervisor)