Cross-national analysis of learning approaches, achievement motivation, and academic success among nursing students

Academic success among nursing students is vital for developing the professional skills necessary to ensure the safety and quality of patient care. This study examines the relationship between learning approaches (Deep, Strategic, and Surface), achievement motivation, and academic performance among nursing students.

This study employed a sample of 770 participants, balanced by country (n = 110 per country) but not by year of study. With 110 nursing students recruited from each of the seven participating countries through a multi-phase process designed to ensure cross-national data integrity. The research was conducted across seven different countries: Egypt, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Sudan. The Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students, Achievement Motivation Scale and academic performance tools were adopted in this study to assess the study approaches, achievement motivation and academic performance of the nursing students respectively.

Deep learning (DL) was found to be the strongest positive factor (p < .001) for predicting high achievement, each unit increase in DL is associated with an 8.7% increase in the odds of being a high achiever (OR = 1.087), not the probability. Conversely, surface learning (OR = 0.864) and marital status (OR = 0.124) were significant negative factors; each increased the likelihood of an individual achieving a lower level of academic achievement.

Deep learning and the active cognitive search for meaning have a significant association with academic success for nursing students. This shows that deep learning is significantly more important than achievement motivation or SL. However, a "pedagogical gap" exists as engagement in all three types of learning declines during the last year, demonstrating that maintaining deep engagement is the most important, yet most at-risk, factor for achieving excellence in both clinical and academic practice.