Cultivating Academic Help-Seeking Behavior Among First-Semester Nursing Students

Abstract

Background: To improve retention rates, many nursing programs are placing greater emphasis on providing students with a range of opportunities for learning support. Although offering academic support is critically important, these services can be effective only if students use them. This article describes an exploratory study that investigated nursing student academic help-seeking behavior. Method: Thirty-one first-semester nursing students enrolled in an Associate Degree nursing program participated in the study. Survey data were analyzed to identify key factors that influence academic help-seeking behavior. Results: The findings revealed personal, social, and environmental factors that influence students' decisions to seek help and highlighted the interconnections between and among factors. Conclusion: Implementing new models for student success may help nursing programs cultivate academic help-seeking behavior among first-semester nursing students. [ J Nurs Educ . 2022;61(7):403–407.]