The Effects of Achievement-Focused Motivation on Lifelong Learning Tendencies of Nursing Students

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Nurses need to have lifelong learning to be able to follow up the most current information and practices in the area of healthcare, acquire the information, skills and qualifications required for the safe conduct of nursing practices, to continue to offer good-quality healthcare services and to improve health services. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of achievement-focused motivation on the lifelong learning tendencies of nursing students. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This descriptive and cross-sectional study was performed with the participation of 264 nursing students. The data were collected using a Personal Information Form, the Achievement-Focused Motivation Scale and the Lifelong Learning Tendency Scale. Descriptive statistics, Independent-Samples t-test, One-Way ANOVA and Pearson's Correlation Analysis were utilized for the evaluation of the data collected. RESULTS: The mean of scores obtained by the participants from the Achievement-Focused Motivation Scale and the Lifelong Learning Tendency Scale were respectively 143.24 +/- 24.99 and 70.28 +/- 11.94. Upon assessment of the correlation between the means of the scores obtained by the participants from the Achievement-Focused Motivation Scale and the Lifelong Learning Tendency Scale, it was found that there was a statistically significant relationship between the participants' scores in the Achievement-Focused Motivation Scale and its sub-scales and their scores in the Lifelong Learning Tendency Scale (p<0.01). CONCLUSION: It was ascertained that the nursing students' lifelong learning tendencies developed as their achievement-focused motivation levels went up.