DOI: 10.5176/2315-4330_WNC18.51
Authors: Janet Starr, Erst Carmichael, Dr. Kathleen Dixon, Dr. Paul Glew, Prof. Yenna Salamonson
Abstract:
This paper investigates the perceptions and experiences of undergraduate nursing students involved in an embedded academic literacy support program at a multi-campus School of Nursing and Midwifery in an Australian university located in culturally diverse regions of Western Sydney. The study was conducted using three focus group interviews with students from the nursing program after their engagement with support. The focus group participants reported high levels of satisfaction with the support, improved capacities in using literacy and language skills, and increased confidence and success in their studies. They accessed the support to develop literacy skills for nursing subjects and specific assessment tasks, and some students from linguistically and culturally diverse (CALD) backgrounds specifically attended support to improve skills in written and spoken English as an additional language (EAL). Whilst this study aimed to explore the experiences of all students, the focus groups predominantly involved participants who were from CALD backgrounds with EAL. Thematic analysis of the focus group interviews revealed that the embedding of targeted Professional Communication Academic Literacy (PCAL) support involving workshops, consultations and a resource workbook that were tailored to the literacy and language needs of students were effective support strategies. The focus groups explored the students’ experiences of the support including their uptake of support, improvements in literacy and language capacities, increases in confidence in using these skills, and how engaging with support enhanced their academic performance. The findings from this study are relevant to the embedding of academic literacy and language support in other nursing programs and would be transferable to meeting student learning needs in similar school contexts.
Keywords: academic literacy, English language, student support, undergraduate nursing
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