Assessment of nursing students' attitudes and awareness towards professional research and development

Abstract

Objective: To assess nursing students' attitudes and awareness towards research and development and determine the affecting factors. Material and Methods: This study had a descriptive and correlational design. In total, 182 nursing students studying in two foundation universities in Istanbul participated in the study. Data were collected using the sociodemographic characteristics form and the nursing students' attitudes and awareness towards research and development scale. Results: The mean age of the nursing students was 20.91±1.93 years, 80.2% were women, 30.2% were first-year students, and 64.3% were Anatolian high school graduates. A total of 60.4% of the students stated that they did not take any course on research, 79.7% stated that they did not have any research experience, 72.5% stated that they did not follow scientific publications, 46.2% stated that they did not read scientific journals, and 63.7% stated that they did not receive training on how to access evidence-based information. The mean score of the students on the scale was 128±16.0. A significant statistical difference found between the students' total score on the scale and their sex, research experience, frequency of following scientific publications and reading scientific journals, and thinking of the educated to access evidence-based information (p<0.05). Conclusion: It was determined that nursing students were aware of research and development and had positive attitudes. Nursing students should be given training on how to access scientific knowledge in their undergraduate education, be asked to use evidence-based information in their assignments and be encouraged to participate in the nursing faculty research projects.