Academic Reading and Writing Needs of Undergraduate Nursing Students in Research

Like other students of any discipline, nursing students are taught to develop and enhance their cognitive, affective, and psychomotor skills. They are being trained for their future nursing responsibilities in the clinical or community-based facilities and are empowered to create positive changes in healthcare through the conduct and publication of quality research. However, conducting and publishing quality research could be challenging for many nursing students as these entail a myriad of skills, including reading and writing in the discipline. This study investigated students' needs in academic reading and writing in nursing research using sequential-explanatory mixed methods design. Quantitative data were first gathered through a self-administered questionnaire from a group of 18 nursing students. Afterward, six conveniently selected students from the same group were subjected to a semi-structured interview conducted online. Descriptive statistics such as Mean and Standard Deviation and content analysis were employed as data analyses for the survey and interview data. The following are the findings of the study: (1) on academic reading, nursing students' needs include organizing literature items reviewed, and synthesizing general concepts to generate a new idea; and (2) on academic writing, students' needs encompass the use of correct grammar, paraphrasing, adherence to a publication format, and confidence in academic writing. The study draws pedagogical implications for an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) classroom, suggesting that language teachers employ explicit teaching of reading strategies that facilitate critical reading and teach academic writing both at the micro and macro levels.