Relationship between academic motivation and professional behavior in nursing students

BACKGROUND: One of the main factors related to the quality of nursing care is professional behavior, which is formed during student life and continuously develops during professional activity. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between academic motivation and professional behavior in undergraduate nursing students. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this descriptive correlational study, 265 undergraduate nursing students from the second to eighth semesters of Abhar School of Nursing affiliated with Zanjan University of Medical Sciences were selected by census method during May and June 2024. The data collection tool included three demographic questionnaires, the Academic Motivation Scale (AMS) and the Nursing Students Professional Behaviors Scale (NSPBS), which were completed online. Data were analyzed using descriptive (frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation) and inferential (independent t -test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression) statistics at a significance level 0.05. RESULTS: Nursing students’ total academic motivation and professional behavior scores were 76.24 ± 13.92 and 49.12 ± 9.17, respectively. Also, there was a significant relationship between the total score and academic motivation components with professional behavior in nursing students ( P < 0.001). In addition, 23.2% of the variance in professional behavior was explained by academic motivation components. CONCLUSION: This study’s findings showed a relationship between academic motivation and professional behavior in undergraduate nursing students. Therefore, it is suggested that policymakers and nursing educational managers plan to continuously monitor the student’s academic motivation so that suitable strategies can be used to maintain and improve it at the desired level, along with the early identification of vulnerable students.