Relationship between academic motivation and moral sensitivity in nursing students

Background: A Bachelor's course in nursing is one of the most challenging courses in medical sciences. Therefore, maintaining students' academic motivation during the course at the desired level is always one of the concerns of policymakers and educational managers. On the other hand, facing complex moral challenges is always a part of the nature of the nursing field, and the study period is a golden opportunity to create moral sensitivity and strengthen professional ethics in the students of this field. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between academic motivation and moral sensitivity in undergraduate nursing students. Methods: In this descriptive-correlational study, ۲۶۵ undergraduate nursing students of Abhar School of Nursing affiliated with Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Iran, were selected by census method in ۲۰۲۴. The data collection tools included demographic questionnaires, the Academic Motivation Scale (AMS), and the Moral Sensitivity Questionnaire (MSQ), which were completed online. The data was analyzed with the help of SPSS version ۱۶ software and using descriptive (frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation) and inferential (independent t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression) at a significance level of ۰.۰۵. Results: Nursing students' total academic motivation and moral sensitivity scores were ۷۹.۲۴±۱۴.۰۵ and ۱۲۱.۱۲±۱۶.۳۳, respectively. Also, there was a significant relationship between the total score and all dimensions of academic motivation and moral sensitivity (p<۰.۰۰۱). In addition, ۲۹.۱% of the variance of moral sensitivity was explained by the dimensions of students' academic motivation. Conclusion: This study's results showed a relationship between academic motivation and moral sensitivity in nursing students. Therefore, it is suggested that students' academic motivation levels be continuously monitored during the course so that people at risk of falling motivation are identified, and effective strategies are planned and implemented to improve their academic motivation. Clinical trial number: Not applicable Keywords: Motivation, Morals, Students, Nursing

کلیدواژه ها:

Motivation ، Morals ، Students ، Nursing