Nursing Students’ Perception of Academic Coaching Relationship After Coaching Intervention in North-West Nigeria

Abstract

Academic coaching depends not only on the content of an intervention but also on the quality of the relationship through which support, feedback, accountability and goal setting are delivered. This study assessed nursing students’ perception of the academic coaching relationship after a structured coaching intervention in North-West Nigeria. The manuscript reports the post-intervention perception component of a quantitative quasi-experimental study conducted in two public schools of nursing. The study involved 128 students from both intervention and control group, however, the perception analysis involved the 64 second-year nursing students in the intervention school. Four clinical instructors were trained for three days and delivered a six-week academic coaching programme. Students were organised into four groups of 16, and each group received weekly coaching sessions lasting approximately 60–90 minutes. Sessions addressed goal setting, learning strategies, stress management, practical clinical procedures, progress review, feedback and accountability. Perception was measured after the intervention with the 30-item Perceptions of the Coaching Relationship instrument, scored on a seven-point Likert scale. Descriptive statistics were analysed using SPSS version 23; a mean score below 4 indicated a negative perception, while a score of 4 or above indicated a positive perception. All assessed dimensions were rated positively. The highest mean score was recorded for coach attitude (5.6), followed by time-management support (5.5), coach expectations (5.2) and assistance received (5.1). The aggregate mean was 5.4 out of 7, indicating an overall positive perception of the coaching relationship. The findings suggest that nursing students accepted the structured coaching relationship and perceived their coaches as supportive, accessible and helpful in managing academic and clinical demands. Academic coaching programmes in nursing education should therefore prioritise coach preparation, trust, empathy, clear expectations, regular contact and practical assistance. Further qualitative studies are needed to explain which relational features students value most and how these features influence sustained academic and clinical outcomes.