Students’ expectations, concerns and comprehensions when writing theses as part of their nursing education

Abstract

This study investigates students' expectations and apprehensions before starting writing their Bachelor thesis and their experiences after completion. The questionnaire, which consisted of open questions, was given to 171 students at the beginning of the thesis course; of these, 107 replied; at the end of the course a total of 150 students answered and returned the questionnaire. The answers were analysed according to content analysis. Seven themes describing expectations and apprehensions; and four themes describing experience after completion of the thesis emerged. The results show that students' experiences can be divided into two different groups. One group saw the thesis project as being an important preparation for future professional activities, and one group, consisting of only a few students, described the production of a thesis as being a nightmare. Nevertheless, all the students considered that their experience of learning and the insights gained, together with the learning skills acquired through writing would be of great value in their coming professional life, and that they had become aware of alternative ways of thinking. All the students were proud of the work they had completed, and some saw it as a form of recognition or a "craftsman's diploma".