Jenica Ana Rivero

Southern Institute of Technology, New Zealand

Abstract Title: Nursing Students’ Experience of their Performance Based Assessment: A Reflective Exercise

Biography: Aica Rivero is an experienced Registered Nurse, Nurse Educator, and former Assistant Director of Research, with a strong background in both the healthcare sector and higher education. She has expertise in clinical practice, research, teaching, and curriculum development. Her postgraduate qualifications include a Master of Arts in Nursing Education from Our Lady of Fatima University, units toward a Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing at the University of the Philippines, Manila, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Health Science from the Eastern Institute of Technology. Her research primarily focuses on teaching and learning strategies in nursing education, with interests in performance-based assessment, gamification, and student learning experiences. She is also engaged in studies exploring the use of technology to enhance healthcare delivery. Aica is committed to advancing evidence-informed educational practices that cultivate competent, reflective, and future-ready nurses.

Research Interest: This study explores first-year nursing students’ experiences before, during, and after their performance-based Passport to Practice (P2P) Assessment, with a focus on their reflections. Performance-based assessments are complex, resource-intensive, and often stressful, yet the factors shaping student performance and reflective learning remain underexplored. To address this, 55 conveniently selected first-year nursing students at a New Zealand institute completed reflection sheets guided by Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle weeks after their P2P Assessment and after receiving their results. Ethical clearance was obtained prior to data collection. Qualitative content analysis with peer checking identified key factors influencing performance and students’ reflections on their impact, categorised into five domains: personal, interpersonal, environmental, transactional, and transformational. The findings illuminate not only the elements affecting performance but also how students interpret and learn from their experiences, offering practical insights for assessment design, preparation, and student support. Keywords: Performance-based assessment, Nursing education, Reflections, Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle