Abstract

Aims and objectives: To explore perceptions of educators at undergraduate nursing courses related to educational needs and motivational factors among nursing students. Background: The ever-aging population poses a significant socioeconomic burden and demands investment of human and other resources. Return on these investments, in terms of quality of care delivered, has been shown to be associated with educational contents and motivational factors in nursing students. However, further research is needed on perspectives among nursing educators, in relation to perceived curricular needs and student motivational factors. Design: A qualitative study using content analysis of semi-structured interviews. Methods: Five gerontic nursing educators (three from Slovenia, two from Croatia), heads of their respective departments, from five higher-education institutions were interviewed during the 2017/2018 school year, and the interviews were transcribed verbatim. Results: Five areas were covered by the interviews: i) proposals on curricular improvements; ii) proposals on work experience with the elderly; iii) proposals on interventions to strengthen motivation to work with the elderly; iv) effects of attitudes of students on ageing and the elderly; v) emotional responses of students towards ageing. In each of the themes, several (4-6) main categories were identified. Conclusion: Perceptions of educators across the five educational institutions do not differ significantly: they recognize the possible emotional responses of students towards ageing as a generally negative attitude, indifference, and fear, yet they fail to offer solutions to change the emotional reaction. The educators seem to deny the connection between education, attitudes, and behavior. Relevance to clinical practice: Nursing educators play a critical role in directing attitudes and knowledge of future gerontic nursing professionals towards ageing and old age; insight into their opinions is important as the world faces a dramatic demographic change.