Indicators of undergraduate nursing students' satisfaction with their learning journey: An integrative review

Objectives: In Australia Bachelor of Nursing programmes are delivered via both internal and distance modes yet there is little knowledge of the indicators of undergraduate nursing students' satisfaction with the learning journey. This integrative review was undertaken to uncover the indicators of undergraduate nursing students' satisfaction with their learning journey. Design: Integrative review. A review of key papers was undertaken. Only peer-reviewed papers published in scholarly journals from 2008 onwards were included in this integrative review. Data sources: Pubmed, CINAHL, Google Scholar, Cochrane, Wiley Online and ProQuest Central databases were searched for relevant papers. Review methods: 49 papers were appraised, by a minimum of two team members. CASP tools were used when evaluating qualitative research, systematic and integrated reviews while survey research was evaluated using a tool specifically developed for this purpose by the research team. All tools used to assess the quality of the research studies contained comprehensive checklists and questions relevant for the particular type of study. Data related to these checklists was extracted and the research team appraised the quality of each article based on its relevance to the topic, internal and external validity, appropriateness of data analysis technique(s), and whether ethical considerations were addressed. Seventeen papers were included in the final analysis. Data analysis involved a systematic approach using content analysis techniques. Results: This integrative review sought to identify indicators of nursing students' satisfaction with their learning journey. Authentic learning, motivation, resilience, support, and collaborative learning were identified by this integrative review as being key to nursing students' satisfaction with their learning journey. Sub themes were identified within each of these themes that assist in explaining nursing students' views of their learning journey. Conclusion: The findings showed that higher satisfaction levels are attained when nursing students feel included and supported during their learning journey. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.