Factors Affecting Academic Failure in Nursing Students of Qom University of Medical Sciences: A Qualitative Study

Introduction: Academic failure of students is a major problem of higher education. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore the factors causing academic failure in nursing students of Qom University of Medical Sciences in 2015.

Methods: This qualitative study was carried out via conventional qualitative content analysis approach. A total of 21 nursing students (18 males and 3 females) who had a Grade Point Average (GPA) lower than the previous semester and were conditioned (average 12) were selected through purposive sampling from the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Qom University of Medical Sciences. Data were collected through semi-structured face-to-face interviews conducted with each individual. Interviews were continued until data saturation, taking about 45 to 70 minutes. Data analysis was performed simultaneously with data gathering.

Results: In this study, the mean age of participants was 21.9±4.1 year. Data analysis demonstrated that individual factors, factors related to curriculum, teaching methods of the faculty, large number of students in class, lack of formative assessment of teachers, lack of interaction between the faculty and students, and failure to comply with lesson plans were major causes of academic failure among students.

Conclusion: Based on the results, managers, instructors and counselors can monitor their students' academic achievement by careful planning, active teaching methods and continuous assessment of students, and conduct individual and group counseling sessions to prevent academic failure.