Academic assessment feedback in theoretical nursing education: A scoping review.

Authors

Salisu Abubakar, Ali Mhungu

Published in

Nurse education today. Volume 169. Pages 107470. Oct 19, 2026. Epub Oct 19, 2026.

Abstract

Assessment feedback is essential in nursing education, supporting students' academic and professional development. While extensive literature exists on feedback in clinical placements, there is limited evidence on academic assessment feedback approaches within the theoretical component of nursing education.
This scoping review explores existing practices, feedback models and their effectiveness in theoretical nursing education.
The review is guided by Arksey and O'Malley's (2005) five-stage framework and reported in line with PRISMA-ScR. A comprehensive literature search was conducted across CINAHL and Medline databases, supplemented by Google Scholar and reference list screening, in March 2025. Inclusion criteria included peer-reviewed articles published in English language on academic assessment feedback in nursing education. Identified studies were managed using Covidence and data were synthesised using qualitative content analysis.
A total of n = 261 studies were identified, n = 7 studies met the review criteria following full screening. Findings show a predominant focus on formative feedback, provided using approaches such as written annotations, audio podcasts and Immediate Feedback Assessment Technique (IF-AT). There are inconsistencies in the feedback approaches and a limited application of structured feedback models among educators. Evidence on summative feedback approaches remains limited.
Assessment feedback in theoretical nursing education is characterised by a strong emphasis on formative feedback. However, the practice lacks consistency and standardisation. The integration of structured, evidence-informed feedback models and enhancement of feedback literacy may improve consistency, quality and academic development value of assessment feedback.

PMID:
42913364
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 24 Oct 2026.

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