Academic Expectations of Nursing Students: Preliminary Results of a Descriptive-Correlational Study

Abstract

Background: Academic expectations are constructs that include ideal perspectives, predictions and norms, and this set of variables influences the evaluation of satisfaction. Expectations are moulded by students‘ previous experiences according to the levels of autonomy experienced and the quality of their future Projects. Objectives: To identify the Academic Perceptions - Expectations (PA-Exp) of students on the Nursing Degree course. Material and Methods: Quantitative, cross-sectional, descriptive-correlational study, non-probabilistic accidental sample of Portuguese nursing students. Data was collected using an online questionnaire (Microsoft Office 365) containing: sociodemographic and clinical variables and the Academic Perceptions and Expectations Questionnaire. The data was processed using IBM® SPSS® Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software, version 29. The study obtained a favourable approval from an Ethics Committee. Results: A preliminary sample of 61 nursing students was obtained, with an average age of 21.02 years (SD=4.39). The results showed high levels of PA-Exp (Me=5.11). The lowest average corresponds to the social pressure factor and the highest to training for employment and career, corresponding to preliminary data. Conclusions: Nursing students have high levels of academic expectations. Preliminary data indicate that identifying the specific areas of expectations that need intervention will make it possible to better manage this transition phase and could be reflected in the quality of training for new nurses.