A Cross sectional Survey of Nursing Students’ Attitude towards Nursing Research

Supervisor

Dr. Fatima Hirzallah

Abstract

Background

Nursing research promotes optimum care for patients through evidence based nursing practice. Students' attitude towards research motivates them to engage in research, develop research skills and apply research findings in clinical settings to promote positive patient outcome.

Aim

The aim of this study is to analyse the attitudes of undergraduate nursing students towards research component in order to discover

Implications for the best practices in teaching/learning process.

Materials and Methods: A descriptive, cross sectional investigation was carried out with purposively selected n = 217, 3^rd and 4^th year students at A Najah National university, department Nursing and Midwifery  of from With informed, voluntary consent, data on students’ attitudes towards research were collected using a self administered questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of 32 items.

Results

Though 76% of the participants reported that nursing research is useful for nursing career and 50% of participants think that nursing research  is relevant to life,  69.6% of the participants reported that nursing  research causes them anxiety, and 50.9% participates reported that they have negative attitude towards nursing  research, and finally 62.6% of participants reported that they have difficulty with nursing research, which indicates and over all negative attitude towards nursing research though most of the participants think that nursing research is useful for nursing career.

Conclusion

Despite their favourable attitudes towards nursing research usefulness in life, the baccalaureate nursing graduates have negative feelings towards biostatistics and reported that the statistical components of the subject are demanding and exhaustive. This could be explained by the sudden exposure to research methodology without prior introduction and preparation to research at the pre‑university/high school level. The authors of this paper hope that introducing research courses at the pre‑university education level and involving statistical experts at research centres to teach research concepts would be beneficial to future nursing students

Keywords

Attitude, nursing students, research.