Academic Motivations and Academic Self-Efficacy of Nursing Students

Aim: Academic motivation and academic self-efficacy play important roles in the learning process. They increase academic achievement and the attainment of educational goals, thus providing opportunities in the training of qualified nurses. This study was conducted to determine nursing students%u2019 academic motivation and academic self-efficacy levels. Material and Method: This is a descriptive study. A total of 346 students who are attending a nursing school as either a first, second, third, or fourth year student have been accepted in the study. The Academic Motivation Scale and Academic Self-Efficacy Scale were used to collect data. Results: The total score of the participants for extrinsic motivation was 66.52 ± 10.29, and for intrinsic motivation 64.60 ± 10.75. It was observed that freshmen have a higher level of intrinsic motivation than the sophomores and the seniors; and the extrinsic motivation of the juniors is less than all the other classes. It was determined that there is a positive self-efficacy relationship between the intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation levels of the students. Discussion: In the study we determined that there is a difference between the classes in terms of academic motivation. For this reason psychoeducational interventions may be helpful in improving the academic motivation of the students, thus producing nurses who are confident and willing to learn