The Relationship between Nursing Students' Quality of Life with their Academic Achievement Motivation in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Iran

The relationship between health-related quality of life and academic success in nursing students: the mediating role of academic burnout and academic motivation

BACKGROUND

The identification of the key factors that affect academic success in nursing students, including health-related quality of life, academic burnout, and academic motivation, has been of the utmost importance to date. In this context, the present study sought to examine the relationship between health-related quality of life and academic success, with academic burnout and academic motivation mediating that relationship.

METHODS

This analytical cross-sectional study included 262 eligible nursing students selected through convenience sampling from the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. To evaluate health-related quality of life, academic burnout, and academic motivation, the 12-item Short Form Health Survey, the Academic Motivation Scale, and Breso's Academic Burnout Scale were administered, respectively. The study achieved a 95% response rate. Academic success was assessed using the nursing program grade point average. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS Statistics (version 26) and Mplus (version 6.12) software, with a significance level set at 0.05.

RESULTS

The findings of the study indicated that although health-related quality of life did not directly affect academic success, it could potentially enhance academic success through the mediation of intrinsic motivation (B = 0.005, 95% CI = -0.01 to 0.005, p ≤ 0.05). Furthermore, health-related quality of life can increase academic success through the mediation of academic burnout and intrinsic motivation (B = 0.013, 95% CI = 0.005 to 0.02, p ≤ 0.01). This indicates that academic burnout and intrinsic motivation significantly mediate the path from the health-related quality of life to academic success.

CONCLUSIONS

The study findings indicate that nursing education planners and instructors should develop and implement appropriate measures to enhance academic success in nursing students. These measures should also promote their health-related quality of life, academic motivation, and reduce academic burnout.

Professional Nursing Practice Environment and Work Engagement: The Mediating Roles of Self-Efficacy and Achievement Motivation

BACKGROUND

The shortage of nurses is a global problem. Increasing the level of work engagement is known to effectively reduce turnover rate among nursing staff. Strategies to improve work engagement based on the job demands-resources model may effectively improve nurses' job satisfaction and reduce staff turnover.

PURPOSE

A job demands-resources model was used in this study to test the hypothesis that work engagement is affected by both external resources (professional nursing practice environment) and internal resources (self-efficacy and achievement motivation). In addition, the mediating role of self-efficacy and achievement motivation in the relationship between professional nursing practice environment and work engagement was also verified.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey employing a convenience sampling design was implemented. Five hundred fifteen registered nurses were recruited from four tertiary hospitals in Chengdu, China, from January to June 2020. The Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index, General Self-Efficacy Scale, Achievement Motive Scale, and Utrecht Work Engagement Scale were used to measure the four variables.

RESULTS

The results of the structural equation model showed that the degree of fit for each index model was good, indicating that all of the three variables, including professional nursing practice environment, self-efficacy, and achievement motivation, directly affected work engagement. In addition, the variable professional nursing practice environment was found to indirectly influence work engagement through the partial mediation of self-efficacy and achievement motivation.

CONCLUSIONS

The results may be used to guide health policymakers and nurse managers attempting to enhance the work engagement of nurses by providing a supportive working environment, improving the welfare mechanism, formulating a talent training plan, and fostering appropriate empowerment to improve the working environment, self-efficacy, and motivation in nurses.

Happiness and Achievement Motivation among Iranian Nursing Students: A Descriptive Correlational Study

Background

Happiness and achievement motivation are two important concepts in students' lives. Therefore, this study was aimed at investigating the association between happiness and achievement motivation in undergraduate nursing students and examining their relationship with students' demographic characteristics.

Method

A descriptive correlational study was undertaken; 255 undergraduate nursing students enrolled in one nursing school in an urban area of Iran during the academic year 2017-2018 were included in the study using census method sampling. The demographic data questionnaire, Oxford Happiness Questionnaire (OHQ), and Hermans Achievement Motivation Questionnaire (HAMQ) were used for data collection. Data were analyzed using univariate analysis and multivariate linear regression analysis.

Results

The total mean (SD) of happiness and achievement motivation scores were 40.73 (11.20) and 82.61 (7.50), respectively. There was a direct significant correlation between happiness and achievement motivation (r = 0.36, p < 0.001). An inverse significant association between happiness and students 21-24 years old (β = −3.99, p < 0.03) was found. There was a direct significant association between happiness and being married (β = 5.33, p = 0.03) and interest in nursing (β = 4.78, p = 0.02). Additionally, achievement motivation was associated directly with female gender (β = 1.93, p = 0.03) and interest in nursing (β = 3.71, p = 0.005) and inversely associated with studying in the fourth academic year (β = −3.06, p = 0.03) and history of course drops (β = −3.45, p = 0.002).

Conclusion

Our study indicated that there was a direct significant relationship between happiness and achievement motivation in undergraduate nursing students. Therefore, officials and nursing education lecturers should consider programs to increase students' happiness, such as counseling or emotional support programs and workshops.