Effect of Motive for Major Selection on Major Satisfaction, Campus-life Satisfaction, and Self-directed Learning Ability among Nursing Students

Abstract

This study attempted to survey nursing students' motives for choosing nursing as their major, and to examine how such motives affect their satisfaction with their major, campus-life satisfaction, and self-directed learning ability. This study was conducted as a descriptive survey. Data were collected using a self-report questionnaire during the period from the 1st to 15th of April, 2015, and the questionnaires from 195 nursing students were used in the analysis using Fisher's exact test, t-test, one way ANOVA, Mann Whitney test, and ANCOVA. Only 41.5% of the nursing students chose nursing as their major because of their aptitude and interest. The motive for the selection of the major was found to have a significant effect on their satisfaction with the major (p<.001), campus-life satisfaction (p=.008), and self-directed learning ability (p=.001). Middle and high school students should be provided with various types of information on nursing, so that they can have the opportunity to choose nursing based on their aptitude and interest before entering university. Once they start university, nursing students' adjustment to campus-life and learning ability should be enhanced through various extracurricular activity programs in order to stimulate their interest in the major.

Effects of Academic Motivation on Clinical Practice-Related Post-Traumatic Growth among Nursing Students in South Korea: Mediating Effect of Resilience

“…The most frequent extrinsic motivation was the perceived ease of getting a job (40.5%), followed by choosing nursing major based on high-school grades (15.5%). Previous studies have shown that more than half of nursing students reportedly selected their major due to external motivation, rather than intrinsic motivation [27], which is in line with the findings of the current study. Another previous study reported that in South Korea the primary reason nursing students chose their major was employability (55%), followed by aptitude (20%); whereas, non-nursing students cited aptitude (48%), and employability (23%) as the most important reasons for their major choice [21].…”

“…The results of a few previous studies have shown that intrinsically motivated nursing students were more likely to be satisfied with their chosen major, university life, and self-directed learning ability than extrinsically motivated students [27], and intrinsic motivation was also shown to reduce test anxiety [28]. There is little research on the relationship between academic motivation and PTG among nursing students, therefore making any direct comparison difficult.…”

“…Many South Korean college students are choosing nursing mainly due to the ease of obtaining employment related to the current economic recession and job shortages [21]. However, many nursing students who were extrinsically motivated in their major choices tended to drop out from the nursing program, which was associated with maladjustment after being admitted to nursing school or the inability to overcome work-related stress once employed [27]. The findings of this study supported that PTG levels were lower for students with higher extrinsic motivation (compared to those with higher intrinsic motivation) along with higher perceived stress in clinical practice, and lower satisfaction with their chosen major and college life.…”

“…Through this strategy, they could overcome the stress and challenges of their clinical practice, increase their appreciation for life, and match their own values to their chosen major and job identity. Effective strategies are also needed to optimally self-select a career path; and proper training and education should be provided to ensure fulfilment of students' career preference and motivation [12,27,51].…”

Do Gender Role Stereotypes and Patriarchal Culture Affect Nursing Students’ Major Satisfaction?

“…However, our findings suggest that the influence of a patriarchal cultural background can be overcome by demographic characteristics, motives for MS, and academic achievement. This is also supported by the results of previous studies [ 25 , 26 , 27 ], which showed that motive can affect MS. In these studies, MS was highest in students who voluntarily chose their majors based on suitability and interest.…”