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Time-to-event analysis of individual variables associated with nursing students’ academic failure: a longitudinal study

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Abstract

Empirical studies and conceptual frameworks presented in the extant literature offer a static imagining of academic failure. Time-to-event analysis, which captures the dynamism of individual factors, as when they determine the failure to properly tailor timely strategies, impose longitudinal studies which are still lacking within the field. The aims of this longitudinal study were to investigate the time which elapses from a nursing student’s admission to a Bachelor of Nursing program to their academic failure and to estimate the predictive power of individual variables on academic failure. Enrolled students (n = 170) in two Italian nursing degree programs during academic year 2008–2009, received at the beginning of each years a questionnaire which evaluated individual variables. Academic failure rate was 37.2 %. Time-to-event analysis has shown that academic failure occurred after an average of 664.52 days of course attendance (95 %CI = 623.2–705.8). Kaplan–Meier analyses demonstrated a high likelihood of failure among males (χ2 7.790, p 0.005) and among those who had obtained a final average grade in their secondary education ≤73/100 (χ211.676, p 0.001). Cox regression analysis confirmed an increased likelihood of failure over time among males as compared to females (HR 1.931, 95 %CI = 1.017–3.670), and among students living more than a 30 min commute from their place of study (HR 1.898, 95 %CI = 1.015–3.547). The effect of these two factors on academic failure has been seen to manifest primarily toward the end of students’ second academic year; students at risk might be supported by the appropriate university staff prior to this period.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to offer special thanks to the students for their time, patience and for having shared their experience. The authors also thank Graziella Valoppi for her efforts in supporting the early stage of the project. This project has received a grant for the Nursing Board of Udine (Italy [Collegio IPASVI Udine]). We specially thank Sabrina Spangaro for her efforts and inspiration in supporting the project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy

    Angelo Dante

  2. School of Nursing, Udine University, Viale Ungheria 18, 33100, Udine, Italy

    Stefano Fabris & Alvisa Palese

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  1. Angelo Dante
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  2. Stefano Fabris
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  3. Alvisa Palese
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alvisa Palese.

Additional information

This study was conducted on behalf of RIASI group.

Appendix

Appendix

RIASI Group (Research of Academic failure of nursing Students in Italy): Udine University (Italy): Illarj Achil, Loretta Caporale, Irene Comisso, Giampiera Bulfone, Teresa Bulfone, Nadia Urli, Antonietta Zanini, Stefania Zuliani. Trieste University (Italy): Fedel Edi Maurizio, Graceffa Giuseppina, Placenti Franca, Serafini Lina. Nursing Board, Udine (Italy): Sabrina Spangaro, Fabia Bassan, Flavia Crisetig, Fulvia Croatto, Alessandra De Reggi, Miria Del Forno, Elio Drigo, Claudia Iogna Prat, Pamela Margarita, Massimo Noacco, Roberto Paroni, Marika Pascolo, Raffaella Pistrino, Marta Pordenon, Tiziana Tellini, Marco Tomasino, Omar Trombini, Lorena Venier, Graziana Zoldan.

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Dante, A., Fabris, S. & Palese, A. Time-to-event analysis of individual variables associated with nursing students’ academic failure: a longitudinal study. Adv in Health Sci Educ 18, 1047–1065 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10459-013-9448-6

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