Desempenho académico dos estudantes de enfermagem em ensino clínico

: uma visão integrada de professores

Abstract

In recent decades, a significant evolution in nursing education has arisen from the transformations brought upon by a society based on information and knowledge. Given the heterogeneity of the population that has access to higher education, a more attractive and student-focused teaching methodology is fundamental, in order to stimulate motivation, which also requires a deeper approach to the learning process.In a context where there is receptivity to change, but also difficulty in implementing it, the present study aims to contribute to the understanding of the various factors which apparently hinder the adoption of active and self-regulated learning by the students, as well as to the overcoming of those factors, exploring student-focused teaching approaches. It is a naturalistic research effort, with a primarily qualitative approach, following a case study format, in which three studies were harmoniously articulated. The first two were exploratory, in an attempt to understand the relationship between class attendance and the students’ academic performance. They also considered the teachers’ socio-demographic and professional characteristics, as well as their preferred approaches to teaching. The third work, of a more profound nature, sought to identify the factors that interfere with academic performance, being based on ten interviews with teachers who lectured UC Nursing throughout the 4-year training. The obtained results corroborate that, in clinical training, the students’ academic performance is influenced by class attendance, as well as by the teacher and the applied teaching approaches. Due to the theoretical-practical articulation it allows, class attendance stimulates interest, involvement, reflective thinking, and a deeper approach to learning, while also promoting skill acquisition and transfer of knowledge. Concurrently, the use of teaching strategies focused on the student and on the development of a pedagogical relationship promotes the student’s interest, motivation, involvement and co-responsibility concerning the respective training process. On the other hand, class attendance, the adoption of teaching strategies focused on the student, and the consequent academic performance, are all conditioned by the student’s individual characteristics, the lecturer’s pedagogical training, the use of teacher-focused teaching strategies, and the evaluation’s format, as well as the academic context’s physical and organizational conditions. This study substantiates the importance of stimulating the students’ interest and motivation regarding their formative process, through teaching and assessment strategies constructively aligned with the learning objectives, the teachers’ training, and the academic context’s physical and organizational conditions.

Date of Award	10 Dec 2021
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Amélia Simões Figueiredo (Supervisor)