Student perspectives on satisfaction with learning in Bachelor of Nursing programs in Australia: A constructivist grounded theory study

Student satisfaction is becoming increasing important as a quality measure in undergraduate programs, including nursing programs, globally. To date theories of student satisfaction have focused primarily on students’ perceptions of the educational environment rather than their perceptions of learning. Understanding how students determine satisfaction with learning is necessary if schools of nursing are to better understand measures of overall satisfaction and balance the requirements of multiple stakeholders. The aim of this study was to explore and better understand students’ satisfaction with learning in undergraduate nursing programs. Constructivist grounded theory methodology, underpinned by symbolic interactionism, was used to identify how students determine satisfaction with learning. The setting for the study was two large, multi-campus nursing schools located within Australian universities. The campuses were city based, metropolitan, semi-rural and rural. One school of nursing offered a program that was designated as online. Seventeen demographically diverse undergraduate nursing students, studying different stages of a three-year program, participated in twenty-nine semi-structured interviews. Participants were asked to describe situations where they had been satisfied or dissatisfied with their learning. Analysis was conducted according to guidelines for constructivist grounded theory. The substantive theory developed suggests that students are satisfied with learning when they shape a valued learning journey that accommodates the social contexts of the self, the university and the nursing workplace. The basic psycho-social problem, therefore, is negotiating a valued learning journey that accommodates the self, the university and the nursing workplace. Students are diverse. They have diverse lifestyles, commitments, abilities and attitudes to their study. The university and the nursing workplace are experienced differently. Workplaces where nurses work are complex and unique. Students must create meaning across contexts if they are to experience learning of perceived value and be satisfied with their learning. The basic psycho-social process, ‘shaping a valued learning journey across the Bachelor of Nursing program’, has three phases. In phase 1 students orient themselves to valued learning in the pedagogical landscape. They identify knowledge requirements and expected standards, making judgments about the relative worth of what they are learning. When they identify they are studying knowledge of high perceived worth and can adjust their lives so that learning of perceived worth is possible they are positioned to become satisfied with their learning. In phase 2 students seek valued learning experiences across diverse pedagogical terrain. They seek learning experiences of value online, on campus and in the nursing workplace. Those students who are able to experience learning of their choosing are more satisfied with their learning than those who are less able to do so. In phase 3 students evaluate their learning as they progress through the program and judge the value of their knowledge acquisition. Where students acknowledge their learning achievements as worthwhile and timely they are satisfied with their learning. When their knowledge acquisition is valued less, or their understanding takes longer to acquire than they anticipate, they are less satisfied with their learning. Similarly, where students recognise a developing, valued, professional identity in the present and for the future, and the grades they receive meet their self-expectations, they are satisfied with their learning. Strategies for enhancing satisfaction with learning ensure all students have the necessary personal, social and economic resources to succeed and a realistic understanding of what the Bachelor of Nursing program entails both on enrolment and as they progress through the program. Programs that are sufficiently flexible to accommodate students’ individual situations, plans, hopes and dreams are required. In conclusion, when students experience a valued learning journey they are satisfied with their learning. When they struggle to do so they are less satisfied. A valued learning journey is an experience that is unique to the individual, changes over time, and may be transient or sustained, mild or intense. Findings from the research indicate how students, nurse academics and nurse clinicians can facilitate satisfaction with learning in undergraduate nursing programs while still being mindful of the learning requirements for professional nursing practice.