A validated instrument designed to assess academic help-seeking behaviors among nursing students, providing insights into learning preferences and support utilization patterns.
Seeking academic assistance is a critical component of effective learning and academic success in nursing education. Despite its importance, validated instruments specifically designed to assess academic help-seeking behaviors within nursing education, particularly in the Ghanaian context, have been limited.
The Academic Help-Seeking Behavior Questionnaire for Nursing Students (AHSBQ-NS) is a 19-item questionnaire developed to address this gap by providing a context-appropriate and psychometrically sound tool for assessing how nursing students seek academic support.
The AHSBQ-NS was adapted from the Computer Science Help-Seeking Scales (CSHS) developed by Pajares et al. (2004) and refined for nursing education using a structural equation modelling approach. The instrument assesses three dimensions of academic help-seeking behavior: instrumental, executive, and avoidance help-seeking.
Prefers conceptual understanding over direct answers
Prefers direct answers and solutions
Reluctance to seek assistance
This questionnaire is provided as a self-assessment tool for reflection on academic help-seeking behaviors. There are no right or wrong answers, and responses are private.
For each statement below, select the number that best represents your typical academic behavior as a nursing student, using the scale provided.
| # | Statement | Your Response (1-8) |
|---|
The scale with the highest mean score indicates your predominant help-seeking style. Compare your scores across the three dimensions to understand your behavioral preferences. Instrumental style focuses on understanding concepts, Executive style prioritizes solutions, and Avoidance style indicates hesitance to seek help. Higher scores represent stronger tendencies in each dimension.