Expectations of nursing degree students: A longitudinal analysis

Abstract

Background: The expectations of students regarding their studies have a strong influence on their academic performance and personal training, and they are closely related with their academic and professional future.

Objectives: To analyze initial expectations and how they are fulfilled, in a cohort of nursing students during the four years of their degree program.

Design: Creation and validation of a questionnaire and longitudinal study.

Setting: University nursing school in Catalonia (Spain).

Participants: 339 students of the nursing degree.

Methods: Two questionnaires were constructed with 10 items each, of a mixed nature: some items were previously validated in prior studies while other new items were made and included, following a review of the literature. The questionnaires were designed to assess the expectations of the students at the beginning of the academic year (CUDEX questionnaire) and the fulfillment of these at the end of the year (CUDEX-C questionnaire).

Results: Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) for the CUDEX questionnaire and the CUDEX-C was 0.70. Factorial analysis of the expectations questionnaires suggested a three-factor model, with an acceptable internal consistency for each of the factors. Statistically significant differences were found between the initial expectations and their fulfillment at the end of the academic year for all the factors and in all four years of the degree program.

Conclusions: The three-factor model of the expectations (Academic adaptation, personal development, and academic performance) shows a good fit for the several samples and time points. The nursing students feel that not all of their expectations were fulfilled during their studies, and there were significant differences between their initial expectations and those fulfilled, in terms of all three factors.

Keywords: Expectations; First-year students; Nursing students; Questionnaire design student perceptions.