Authors : Sousan Valizadeh , Headar Ali Abedi , Vahid Zamanzadeh and Eskandar Fathi-Azar
Abstract: Several researches propose a reform in the educational programming based on the learners` feedback and needs. An understanding of the experiences and the challenges with which the students are confronted with them during their studies can help improve a positive atmosphere and facilitate an active learning environment. A qualitative study of phenomenological type was carried out on 20 senior nursing students of the 4 year undergraduate programme in Iran. Participants were selected on the basis of purposive sampling from three different Medical Sciences Universities in Iran.The method of collecting data included semi-structured, in-depth and face-to-face interview concerning the students` challenging experiences during their studies. The interviews were carried out with the permission of the participants and audio-taped on the cassettes and transcribed verbatim as soon as possible. Data analyzing was performed by the researchers` immersion in the data by using a hermeneutic analysis. At first, 391 primary codes were extracted through reading and rereading interviews and as a result of combining the common and similar codes the number reduced to 99. Finally, during the last stage the findings were acquired in the form of three main themes including: the challenges of `integrating knowledge and practice`, the challenge of `management of educational environment` and the challenge of `inattention of the community to the status of nursing`. Interviewing with students provided an insight concerning the challenges in current educational environment. The results of this study suggest that the students were not satisfied with their experiences. The findings of this study can be implemented by nursing educators and they can also be used to improve and promote a suitable educational environment, based on the experiences and the opinions of participants as well as keeping the students who are interested in education.
Sousan Valizadeh , Headar Ali Abedi , Vahid Zamanzadeh and Eskandar Fathi-Azar , 2008. Challenges of Nursing Students During Their Studies: A Qualitative Study . Research Journal of Biological Sciences, 3: 94-108.