Aligning undergraduate nursing research with the Healey and Jenkins teaching–research nexus: Evidence-informed guidelines for lecturers
Poovanesthree Padayachee & Oluwatobi Joseph Alabi
Abstract
Undergraduate nursing research modules play a pivotal role in cultivating inquiry-driven practitioners, yet lecturers frequently encounter structural and pedagogical barriers that hinder students' readiness for postgraduate education. This study sought to create evidence-informed guidelines to enhance research lecturers' pedagogical practices within undergraduate nursing curricula, utilising the Healey and Jenkins research–teaching nexus as a guiding framework. A qualitative case study was undertaken at a public university’s nursing department in South Africa. Twelve lecturers and supervisors involved in teaching or assessing research modules were purposively selected from local and international higher education nursing institutions. Data collection involved semi-structured interviews and document reviews, followed by thematic analysis. Six themes emerged, reflecting lecturers' challenges, including limited timeframes, inadequate student engagement, deficiencies in research conceptualisation, excessive workload demands, and institutional resource limitations. Evidence based guidelines were developed and aligned with the four quadrants of the Healey and Jenkins framework (research-tutored, research-based, research-led, and research-oriented), offering actionable recommendations for advancing research pedagogy. The findings highlight the potential of embedding inquiry-based, ethically grounded, and scaffolded approaches across all undergraduate levels to bolster research competence, critical thinking, and preparedness for postgraduate study. Adoption of these guidelines can support lecturer development, curriculum enhancement, and departmental quality assurance in nursing education programmes.
Keywords
research pedagogy, inquiry-based learning, lecturer development, curriculum enhancement
Author information & Contribution
Poovanesthree Padayachee. Corresponding author. Doctor of Nursing. Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Health Sciences, Durban University of Technology. Email: poovanesthreep@dut.ac.za
Oluwatobi Joseph Alabi. PhD. Researcher, School of Social Science, College of Humanities, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Howard College. Email: damilarealabi40@yahoo.com
“All authors equally contributed to the conception, design, preparation, data gathering and analysis, and writing of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.”
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Funding
This work was not supported by any funding.
Institutional Review Board Statement
This study was granted ethical clearance by the Durban University of Technology Institutional Research Ethics Committee (Ref: IREC 192/21).
Data and Materials Availability
The data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
AI Declaration
AI tools were not used in writing this paper.
Notes
Acknowledgement
The authors gratefully acknowledge Prof. Vasanthrie Naidoo, Faculty of Health Sciences, Durban University of Technology, and Prof. Maureen Nokuthula Sibiya, Vice Chancellor, Mangosuthu University of Technology, for their guidance and supervisory support during the initial development of this study.
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Cite this article:
Padayachee, P. & Alabi, O.J. (2026). Aligning undergraduate nursing research with the Healey and Jenkins teaching–research nexus: Evidence-informed guidelines for lecturers. International Journal of Educational Management and Development Studies, 7(3), 80-105. https://doi.org/10.53378/ijemds.353379
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