Efficacy of supplemental instruction to enhance student success 1

Attrition within nursing programs is costly to the student and educational programs. There is little evidence regarding the effectiveness of targeted remediation programs for assisting at-risk students in achieving academic success. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of supplemental nursing instruction on student success. Students were enrolled in a targeted course, Application of Nursing Concepts, which included activities designed to promote the development of critical thinking skills. Chi-square test revealed sufficient evidence to support that there was a significant difference in academic outcome, with the participants more likely to achieve success (r = 9.435, p = .009). Of the 13 students who were not successful, only 1 failed while receiving assistance. The remaining 11 were not successful in nursing courses for which no remedial assistance was available. This analysis strongly supports the belief that the remediation was effective in assisting at-risk students with academic success.