Studying in a foreign language : nursing students’ perspective

Abstract

The world, the European Union and Finland have increased their efforts to become more globalised and internationalised over the past years. Many western countries have utilised this to develop strategies and find solutions for the shortage of nursing staff. One approach has been to provide nursing education in languages other than the native language to attract more students. This descriptive literature review aims to produce knowledge on what is known about the foreign language students’ perception of studying and learning in a foreign language in nursing education. The purpose was to describe how nursing students perceive learning and studying in a foreign language.

The articles were obtained from reliable scientific databases such as Medline, Taylor & Francis, PubMed and CINAHL. A manual search was also conducted. A total of 17 articles (n=17) were included in this descriptive literature review. Inductive content analysis was applied.

The results showed that factors promote and hinder nursing students' perception of studying in a foreign language. The factors found were language barriers, students' mental health, personal identity, cultural and teaching methods, the specific needs of foreign language students and support from the university, private life, and the combined support. Those factors influenced each other; for example, the language barrier affected their studies and may also influence their mental health. To promote a positive perception, students need support and awareness of their challenges, such as different language levels or having to balance responsibilities of private life and university.

The results of this study can be utilised by nursing education facilities, educators and mentors, nursing students and other foreign language nursing students. Further studies on how to support the education of nursing students studying in a foreign language are required.