The Perceptions of Nurse Educators Regarding the Stigma Associated With Academic Failure Among Repeating Nursing Students at a Nursing Education Institution in South Africa

Introduction: Academic failure remains a highly stigmatised subject within nursing education conceptualises stigma not merely as a negative characteristic but as any generalised attribution that devalues or humiliates an individual. The repeating nursing students in South Africa, similar to other contexts, encounters various forms of stigma, including self-stigma, public stigma, institutional stigma, and professional stigma. This stigma is especially more detrimental when perpetuated by authority figures such as nurse educators. Methods: A qualitative interpretive phenomenological approach was employed. Nine groups of nurse educators at a South African nursing education institution were purposively sampled and interviewed using semi-structured, focus group interviews. Data were analysed through a five-step Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Results : Four themes emerged: (1) Nurse educators’ acknowledgement of their stigmatising attitudes and practices toward repeating nursing students (2) Inherent institutional stigmatising practices (3) A Culture of Blame (4) Repeating nursing students’ diverse responses to the stigmatisation of academic failure. Conclusion: Nurse educators acknowledged prevalent of the stigma associated with academic failure toward repeating nursing students, involving negative attitudes, exclusion, and confidentiality breaches, which increased stress and disengagement, yet some students showed resilience by seeking support to improve academically.