Students' and tutors' perspectives on what contributes to the academic success of mature aged students in a pre-registration nursing program

Abstract

The study was undertaken as a partial requirement of the MA (Applied) in nursing. A qualitative descriptive design was used to illuminate the perspectives of a small number of mature age nursing students and some tutors from one a pre registration program in a New Zealand Polytechnic to explore the factors which they self-report as contributing to the academic success of mature age pre-registration nursing students. A motive behind the research was to generate insights which may lead to creative ways of addressing the problem of a high rate of drop-out and academic failure of similar mature age pre-registration nursing students in Sri Lanka. The findings revealed that the mature age nursing students and tutors who participated in this study, perceive that mature age students are achieving academic success because of high self motivation, careful educational planning and organized teaching strategies. The curriculum model had a highly developed philosophy that incorporated theories of adult learning and cultural caring. There was a well organized support system that respected the lived experiences of the mature age nursing students throughout the study program. The study findings suggest that there may be some important inter-relationships between: caring and adult learning pedagogues; teaching practices and student motivation in possibly contributing to mature age student academic success. The study will be of interest to the mature age students and to the tutors of any nursing community as it offers an interesting illumination of some perspectives on what contributes to the academic success of mature age nursing students. It is a tribute to the mature age students and their tutors who participated in the study, and it may offer insights and creative possibilities to the mature age students of Sri Lanka and to their tutors.