In what ways does online teaching create a positive attitude towards research in nursing students studying a first year evidence-based practice undergraduate subject online?

• Published in: Nurse education in practice Vol. 44; p. 102744
• Main Authors: Ramsay, Alan, Wicking, Kristin, Yates, Karen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Scotland Elsevier Ltd 01.03.2020; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Academic staff; Adult; Anxiety; Attitude; Attitude of Health Personnel; Attitudes; Changes; Clinical research; Clinical training; Curricula; Education, Distance; Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate; Evidence based practice; Evidence based research; Evidence-based nursing; Female; First year; Humans; Knowledge; Learning; Male; Medical research; Nursing; Nursing education; Nursing Research; Nursing Research - statistics & numerical data; Nursing Students; Online instruction; Optimism; Professional practice; Quasi-experimental methods; Questionnaires; Research subjects; Skills; Student attitudes; Students; Students, Nursing - statistics & numerical data; Surveys and Questionnaires; Teachers; Teaching methods; Terminology; Usefulness; Young Adult; Nursing; Research; Evidence based practice; Students; Attitude
• ISSN: 1471-5953; 1873-5223; 1873-5223
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nepr.2020.102744

Nursing research teaching is seen as central to nurse education and practice, but the impact of exposure to research teaching on students' attitudes towards research remains unclear. The aims of this study were to explore the attitudes towards research of undergraduate nursing students, before and after exposure to research teaching online. A further aim of this study was to better understand students' attitudes towards research, to inform future teaching strategies. This descriptive quasi-experimental study used pre-semester and post-semester data collected by means of an online questionnaire. The Attitudes Towards Nursing Research Scale measured student attitudes via 18 Likert items that assessed four domains: Research Abilities, Usefulness of Research, Personal Interest in Research and Using Research in Clinical Practice. There were no statistically significant changes in the overall Attitude Towards Research Scale. Individual item analysis did show statistically significant changes in two items: Understanding of research terminology increased (p = 0.001), but Intention to conduct research decreased (p = 0.035). This study generated evidence on attitudes of nursing students toward research before and after their exposure to a research subject. Research teaching online may be insufficient to effect a change in student nurses’ attitudes towards research. Issue: Research is a foundational topic in undergraduate nursing curricula, but students often find the topic to be challenging to learn, while academics find it challenging to engage students in learning about research.What is Already Known: A validated instrument, Attitudes Towards Research, can be used to ascertain if teaching affects attitudes.What this Paper Adds: Overall attitudes of first year, second semester students did not change after experiencing a semester long introductory research subject. However, two item statements did show a statistically significant change, in disparate directions. Understanding of Research Terminology increased, while Intention to Conduct Research decreased. •Teaching research online did not improve attitudes towards research.•Undergraduate nursing students see value in being taught about research.•Undergraduate nursing students appreciate the relevance of research to practice.•Nursing students reported improvements in understanding of research terminology.•Students reported feeling less inclined to conduct research in the future.