Abstract

Background: Nowadays, academic writing is an integral part of tertiary education. Students at the tertiary level of education including nurses are expected to take part in research activities. Hence, nursing students need academic writing skills to communicate evidenced-based information in a formal manner. They also need information literacy to locate, evaluate, organize, use and communicate relevant information in all its various formats. However, some under-graduate student nurses cannot write, and most of them face challenges during academic writing. It is the role of nurse educators to facilitate and guide nursing students during this activity.

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the information literacy and academic writing skills of final year undergraduate nursing students in Buea.

Method: A cross-sectional survey design was used. The study duration was for five months. A sample of 200 fourth year nursing students purposively selected from four nursing institutions in Buea, Cameroon took part in this study. Data was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire and analyzed descriptively using SPSS 23.0.

Results: Majority of our participants were: 26-28 years old 66(33.0%), females 138(69.0%), single 130(65.0%) and studied at BUIB 142(71.0%). Findings revealed that nursing students had moderate 102(51.0%) information literacy skills and moderate 92(46.0%) academic writing skills. Also, they face challenges during academic writing such as: poor supervision 128(64.0%), ineffective feedback 120(60.0%), poor knowledge on search engines 114(57.0%), incompetency making conclusions on work read 112(56.0%), ineffective teaching of academic writing 106(53.0%) and poor usage of search engines 102(51.0%). The students suggested that effective and efficient teaching of academic writing 130(65.0%), effective feedback 80(40.0%), close supervision 60(30.0%), effective teaching of information literacy 25(12.5%) and search engines 23(11.5%), and seminars 7(3.5%) could enhance their academic writing. There was a significant association between academic writing and the age (P=0.018), gender (P=0.002) and information literacy of the students (P=0.019).

Conclusion: The information literacy of final year undergraduate nursing students was moderate 102(51.0%). The academic writing skill of final year undergraduate nursing students was moderate 92(46.0%). Educators should be more active in their supervision roles, provide effective feedback, and effectively teach academic writing and information literacy skills as a topic to effectively assist nursing students during academic writing.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

Over the years, academic writing has gained importance in higher education, with an increasing emphasis on discipline-specific teaching of writing skills [1]. Worldwide, students at the tertiary level of education are expected to take part in research activities and this includes nurses [2].

Academic writing is one of the key elements of academic research [3], through which researchers communicate evidenced-based information in a concise and structured manner [4]. At undergraduate level, nursing students are expected to produce a number of types of academic writing, such as dissertations, written reflections, reports, reviews of journal articles and essays [5]. Although the acquisition of academic writing skills may be complex for the nursing students, educators act as tutors, facilitators and supervisors who bridge the gap and provide adequate and timely feedback to the students to help them be more proficient in academic writing [6]. Another element of academic research is information literacy, which includes the ability to find, evaluate, organize and adequately use information [7, 24, 25, 27].

In today’s information-abundant era in the media, information literacy is the surest way to choose the right information from the abundant information in the media. Not only does it facilitate engagement with effective decision making, but also problem solving, research and enables nurses to take responsibility for continued learning in areas of personal or professional interest [10].

Research proves that nursing students’ academic reading skills influences their academic writing skills [11]. Thus, nursing students are expected to acquire both information literacy and academic writing skills in order to be prepared for their various nursing roles, including a scholar, a clinician, a professional, an educator and an advocate [8], and to enable them function efficiently with the rapid changing health care and research [9, 10].

Despite the need that nursing students acquire these academic literacy skills, research shows that nursing students’ academic literacy skills are poor. A study by Tarrant M. et al [9] found that nursing students did not feel competent in choosing suitable databases for literature searches, using a citation to a local journal article, conducting online bibliographic searches and using information technology to examine clinical problems.

These findings are in line with the findings of another study conducted by Dorvlo S. [12] which reported that nursing students did not know how to identify their search needs and lacked skills for formulating key words for their search. This lack of knowledge about search strategies and tools can cause inefficiency in locating vital and current information. In the study conducted by Padagas and Hajan in the Philippines [11], results showed that nursing students lacked critical thinking in doing a literature review and also faced challenges on the appropriate tenses to be used in academic writing. These findings are however different to the findings of the study conducted by Shellenbarger T. et al [14] which reports that nursing students were proficient in writing sometimes produced scholarly writing following standardized project formats, among others.

1.2 Problem Statement

Final-year undergraduate nursing students are expected to carryout research and produce up-to-standard academic writing. This is to prepare them for the job market and enhance their personal and professional growth. However, many of them do not meet up to these expectations.

A good number of them do not have the skills to find and evaluate relevant information from the media nor to communicate the information effectively. Some final year undergraduate nursing students pay graduates to do their write-ups for them, while some plagiarize from past works available in the school library. This is because they lack the skills to produce good academic writing themselves.

Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the information literacy and academic writing skills of final year undergraduate nursing students in Buea, identify the various challenges they face during academic writing and to investigate their perceived opinions on majors which educators could implement to ensure effective assistance to the student nurses during academic writing.

1.3 Research Questions

1. What are the information literacy skills of final year undergraduate nursing students in Buea?
2. What are the academic writing skills of final year undergraduate nursing students in Buea?
3. What are the challenges faced by final year undergraduate nursing students during academic writing?
4. What are the perceived opinions of the students on the effective assistance of educators during academic writing?

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