Research is a means through which such knowledge is generated.
There is a great need to inculcate a research culture in all institutions of higher education in South Africa, particularly in historically disadvantaged ones. The Nursing College of the Free State is one of those institutions lacking in a culture of research. As part of capacity-building for quality teaching and learning it was decided that developing research skills of lecturers was an area of priority. The paper reports on a research project undertaken to investigate the factors which students believed to be contributory to their poor academic performance in the institution. The sample was drawn from all students in their fourth, third and second year of study as well as those repeating their first year of study.