Using Narrative Inquiry to Explore the Experience of One Ethnically Diverse ESL Nursing Student

Nursing education is tasked with the responsibility to ensure that the future nursing workforce mirrors the diversity of the patients it serves, but high attrition of ethnically diverse nursing students continues to plague prelicensure nursing programs. A great deal of quantitative evidence exists about variables that correlate to the higher attrition rate of ethnically diverse students. What is missing in the literature is the voice of the individual student solicited through a constructivist ontological lens. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the lived experience of one ethnically diverse nursing student who speaks English as a second language (ESL). Using a narrative inquiry approach, the life story of an Indian immigrant who successfully completed the nursing program was obtained through interviews and other artifacts. The student's life story was then reconstructed into a 3-dimensional narrative using a social constructivist perspective. Authenticity was established through unstructured interviewing, data triangulation, member checking, and careful examination of interview transcripts. Three themes were culled from the participant's narrative: family, language, and persistence. Analysis showed that family can be a source of additional stress for ethnically diverse students, but the support that family members provide tends to outweigh the negatives. Linguistic challenges related to English proficiency can lead to culturally insensitive behavior and discrimination toward ESL students. Persistence is a deeply individual phenomenon that is difficult to generalize or quantify. More research is needed to better understand the lived experience of ethnically diverse students who speak English as a second language. That knowledge will help nurse educators in creating culturally inclusive learning environments for ethnically diverse/ESL students that will support persistence and decrease attrition.