Factors Affecting Attitude Towards Research among Nursing Students: A Cross-sectional Survey from Taif, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Introduction: Research skills are an essential part of what it takes to be a professional nurse. While the research attitudes of nursing students in other countries have been extensively studied, research on nursing students’ attitude towards nursing research in Saudi Arabia is limited. Aim: To examine the factors affecting nursing students’ Attitude Towards Research (ATR). Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Nursing, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences at Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia, over a duration of five months from March 2023 to August 2023. 60 fourth-year nursing students from a single Saudi University (Taif University) participated in the present cross-sectional research. The English version of the ATR questionnaire scale was the main instrument for data collection. The scale consists of 32 items, each with a corresponding Likert scale answer option ranging from “1-strongly disagree” to “5-strongly agree.” Those who scored higher exhibited a more positive attitude toward research. Differences in research attitudes were analysed using the t-test and one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Results: The mean age of the study population was 21.7±1.4 years. All 60 (100%) participants were males, and 44 (73.3%) of the study subjects were in the age group of 21 to 23 years. A total of 32 (53.3%) of the participants had high school research experience. The research attitude among nursing students had a composite mean score of 106.6±18.4. There was a statistically significant difference (p<0.05) in mean attitude toward research scores among different age groups, types of secondary and high school graduates, and those with high school research experience. Conclusion: The present study found a significant difference in ATR among nursing undergraduates concerning age, types of secondary and high school graduates, and high school research experience. Qualitative research might provide additional insights into the topic of attitude toward research among undergraduates.