1. Factors Related to Academic Success in At-Risk Senior Nursing Students Janice Thompson

2. Who is the At-Risk Student?  Student who does not does not pass multiple choice exams?  A student who does not critically think?  A student who is not safe in clinical practice?  A student who does not pass lab validations or simulations/ ↓ A student who fails to meet the nursing progression standards

3. Purpose of the Study  To investigate factors related to academic success for at-risk senior nursing students Little evidence to inform progression decisions regarding remediation and /or probation

4. Descriptive Study Design:  Quantitative (surveys, questionnaires)  Qualitative (journal submissions) Sample Convenience sample of 16 participants 15 female and 1 male student Mean age 22.0 years Caucasian (15) Non-white (1) 13 generic and 3 accelerated students

5. Three Research Questions 1. What are the factors related to nursing students’ failure to achieve the established standards for academic good standing? 2. What activities can assist academically at-risk students to be successful? 3. How does mentoring affect at-risk student behavioral change?

6. Academic Improvement Strategies Course Learning Barriers Learning Style Identification Plans for improvement Reading strategies Time and stress management General test taking strategies Content Reviews  Weekly discussions  Activities  Journal entries  Homework assignments  Met weekly with a faculty mentor

7. Individualized Plan for Improvement Students documented weekly their:  Problems  Goals  Actions  Evaluation  Perceived learning barriers and ranked them from a list that was based on the literature

8. Data Collection  Student work products  Official academic records  Mosby Assess Test©  Learning Style Preferences were assessed using the Index of Learning Styles ( Felder & Solomon, 2007)

9. What are the factors related to nursing students’ failure to achieve the established standards for academic good standing? Research Question One

10. Mean Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) Slightly over 500 for math and verbal Semester GPA Mean Fall semester GPA ↓ 2.48 Mean Spring semester GPA ↑ 2.93 *statistically significant increase of.44 using the Wilcoxon Rank Sum statistic Mean Cumulative GPA (2.92) was the same for both semesters

11. Total Number of “C” Grades  “C” grades (73 – 76) examined *Evaluated using Spearman rank correlation statistic, were found to be significantly correlated. (r s = 0.53, p =.03, n=16 ).  The greater number of science “C” grades earned was related to earning more nursing “C” grades

12. Mosby Assess Test ©  Mean Assess Test Score was 166 (S.D. = 12.65, R = 145-191, N=16) Scores compared to total number of nursing “C” grades, a negative correlation was observed Higher number of poor nursing grades was associated with lower Mosby Assess Test© scores.

13. Journal Themes Related to Failure to Meet Academic Standards “Why do you think you did not meet progression criteria?” “ There is just not enough of time to read, study, and even sleep.” Heavy course load Personal problems Health problems Work Lack of time Test anxiety Procrastination Non-supportive faculty

14. Journal Themes Related to Failure to Meet Academic Standards “What did you learn about your learning style?” Most stated that they really did not learn anything new about their learning style. Self awareness

15. Reflection Statement  One student who had previously made a commitment to be in three weddings during the fall semester, stated: “ It never occurred to me that having these commitments would have such an effect on my schoolwork.”

16. Journal Themes Related to Failure to Meet Academic Standards “What are your major test-taking issues?” “Quicksand.. Once you miss a question, I become anxious, and then miss more questions. ” Changing answers Over-thinking Not reading carefully Test anxiety

17. Research Question 2 What activities can assist academically at-risk students to be successful?

18. Individual Plan for Improvement (IPI) “What is the most important thing you learned by creating your IPI?” Strengths & Weaknesses Goal setting Need for self reflection Increase in self confidence Benefits of IPI  Increased self-confidence  Created a guide for them  Made them more responsible for their own success  One student realized they needed to cut down on the “ number of naps they took during the day and go to bed earlier !”

19. Time Management “How have your time management strategies changed?” Need for self-care Realistic to-do list Need for class preparation Decreasing work hours Managing stress

20. Common Themes  “so much work, so little time”  Many reported that non-nursing friends did not understand why they regularly refused invitations  Many felt anxious and guilty about not doing daily activities such as going to the gym, saving money, cleaning their apartments regularly.

21. How does mentoring affect at-risk student behavioral change? Research Question 3

22. Mentoring Students reported in their journals that they developed a positive relationship with their faculty mentor. For many it was their first experience, someone who knew them as a student and as a person. Prominent Journal Themes : 1. Increased sense of self-esteem 2. Increased sense of self-confidence

23. Types and Frequency of Behavioral Changes Behavioral ChangeFrequency Test Preparation13 Less Procrastination12 Approach for long-term assignments 12 Increased use of daily planner 11 Test-taking strategies11 Class preparation9 Sought additional mentor6 Went to learning resource center 4 Used other campus resources 3

24. Mentoring One student wrote.. “ At first I was not too keen on the idea, I saw it more of in inconvenience, having to meet once a week and talk about my school problems. But after my first meeting, I realized that it was not an inconvenience and that I actually enjoyed this opportunity to work closely with one of my professors.”

25. What did we learn?  The Academic Improvement Strategies course with mentoring sessions proved to be successful to improve semester GPA, graduate, and pass the NCLEX-RN ©  Number of “C” grades earned in prior science and nursing courses significantly related to low Mosby Assess Test © scores- might be useful criterion for probation decisions.  Given the cumulative GPA remained unchanged from fall to spring, while semester GPA increased.44 suggests that semester GPA may be a more sensitive parameter than overall GPA.

26. What did we learn?  The individual plan for improvement empowered students to be accountable and responsible for their daily work.  Identification of test-taking concerns may be a more proactive educational intervention  Connection between a faculty mentor and student was empowering & contributed to success  Educators should encourage mentoring opportunities for any student on probation- probably best offered early in the program.

27. Unexpected Finding  Students did not find the initial visit to the learning center very helpful and they did not return.  More research is needed in this area.

28. Questions