Empty Classrooms: widening the theory-practice gap?

Absenteeism from class amongst third level students is an enduring frustration for educators. It punctuates each week with consistency and is a notable feature of Monday mornings and Friday afternoons particularly. Although... [ view full abstract ]

Absenteeism from class amongst third level students is an enduring frustration for educators. It punctuates each week with consistency and is a notable feature of Monday mornings and Friday afternoons particularly. Although nursing is a relatively new-comer to the university setting, the assimilation has been smooth and nursing has embraced the ideals of the university culture generally. However, there are some tensions, particularly around attendance at lectures that arise in light of Nursing’s status as a profession, the primary goal of which is safeguarding people and practice. Guidance from regulatory bodies on this issue is often non-directive leading to much debate. Higher education espouses a self-directed approach to learning and does not necessarily incorporate mandatory attendance at lectures, which contravenes the professional ideals. The literature in this area proves somewhat inconclusive and offers little in the way of definitive guidance on how to address this issue. We therefore undertook a study to (1) explore the factors influencing attendance at lectures on an undergraduate nursing programme from the perspective of students and (2) to illicit greater insight into approaches that will maximise student engagement in the learning process, which can inform local policies and procedures going forward. We used a mixed-methods, descriptive design yielding both quantitative and qualitative data. The questionnaire used was developed by the researchers for the purpose of this study and is underpinned by professional literature. The frequency with which students missed classes, as well as the reasons for these absences, will be presented. The clinical and academic impacts of such absenteeism will be considered. In addition, how these findings can be used to inform planning within nurse education programmes will be discussed. Ensuring that the learning experience for third level students is both positive and productive should be the central tenet of our roles.