Student-faculty relationships and its impact on academic outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this review of the literature is to synthesis the knowledge attained about determinants of student-faculty relationships and its impact on student outcomes. While adding to the body knowledge, the researchers discuss the importance, barriers, and facilitators to student-faculty academic relationships in nursing education.

DESIGN: We conducted a narrative literature review using a modified version of the framework of the Population, Intervention, Comparison, and Outcome method to develop the research question for this review. That question was: What determinants of undergraduate nursing students' relationships with faculty affect those students' academic outcomes?

DATA SOURCES: To search and review the literature systematically, we entered the specific criteria into the EBSCOhost interface. The following databases were used for data sourcing: Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature Plus with Full Text; Teacher Reference Center; Education Resources Information Center; Medline; and Theses and Dissertations. We selected only full-text, peer-reviewed sources that were written in English for final inclusion.

REVIEW METHODS: After the retrieval of 56 reports via an EBSCO host search, abstracts were reviewed and 29 were rejected based on the exclusion/inclusion criteria. The rejected reports met some or no criteria and not others; or showed little to no association with determinants of nursing student-faculty academic relationships or students' academic outcomes. An inductive method of analysis was used to review and extract emerging themes.

RESULTS: Findings revealed four core determinants of student-faculty relationships: support, caring, diversity, and incivility. These determinants were interrelated and appeared to have an impact on student academic outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS: Nursing institutions should be proactive to ensure that barriers such as incivility are reduced and that diversity is included and appreciated in the teaching and learning environment. Additionally, a caring and supportive climate of learning should be emphasized and enacted by nurse educators.