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Journal of Medical Education

Abstract

Purpose: This study attempts to investigate factors associated with enjoyable learning for a selected sample of baccalaureate nursing students using a specially designed self-rating scale. Method: In this study, a descriptive, cross-sectional survey was conducted to ask a selected sample of baccalaureate nursing students to describe their college learning experience using a specially designed self-rating scale. This self-rating scale was constructed based on the results of literature review and focus group interviews. The self-rating scale proved to have high internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.95). SPSS version 15.0 for Windows was used to perform statistical analysis. Results: A total of 450 self-rating scale were distributed; 433 were returned for a response rate of 96%. The scale explained 62.73% of total variance in the participants' perceived enjoyableness regarding their college learning experience. The participants on the whole found their college learning experience moderately enjoyable. The participants' demographic factors, including gender, marital status, and number of children, had no significant correlations with their enjoyable learning experience. Participants who were older, worked full-time, and performed better academically in college found their college learning experience more enjoyable. In addition, the two factors ”effective teaching” and ”positive learning attitude” explained as much as 48.2% of total variance in the participants' perceived enjoyableness regarding their college learning experience. Conclusions: There exists a highly positive correlation between effective teaching strategies and the participants' enjoyable learning experience. From the results of this study, a number of practical recommendations could be made on how to formulate teaching strategies that can make learning more enjoyable. Further studies on the effect of people, events, and the environment on enjoyable learning experience might lend more insight into how learning can be made more enjoyable for nursing students.

First Page

43

Last Page

54

DOI

10.6145/jme201305

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