Academic Support, Locus of Control and Achievement among Postgraduate Nursing Students

Abstract

Background : Postgraduate nursing students to complete their studies efficiently need effective academic support. Therefore, the Faculty of Nursing must provide a supportive environment to all nursing students and control their studies for better academic achievement. Aim: To assess the academic support, locus of control and achievement among postgraduate nursing students. Research design: A descriptive correlation design was used. Setting: The study was conducted in all departments of Faculty of Nursing at Tanta University. Subjects : All (N=161) postgraduate nursing students who are enrolled in a credit hours system. Tools : Three tools were used to collect the data, Perceived Academic Support Scale, Academic Locus of Control, and Student Achievement. Results : The majority of the postgraduate nursing students had high perception level of academic support and internal academic locus of control. Nearly one third of the postgraduate nursing students had very good (B). Conclusion: There was a highly statistically significant correlation between postgraduate nursing students' perception of academic support and their academic locus of control, while no statistically significant correlation between them and academic achievement. Recommendations: Conduct training sessions and workshops for faculty staff regularly to foster their role in supporting students academically. Make an orientation program for new faculty staff regarding effective characteristics and behaviors that students perceived as important.