Do the Lifelong Learning Tendencies of Nursing Students Affect Their Attitudes Toward E-Learning?

Aim: This study aimed to determine the lifelong learning tendencies and e-learning attitudes of prospective nurses and the relationship between these variables.

Method: This was a descriptive study conducted to find the relationship between lifelong learning tendencies and e-learning attitudes of nurses. The population of the study consisted of a total of 1202 students who were enrolled in the nursing faculty of a state university. The data were collected by an information form, the Lifelong Learning Tendency Scale, and the E-Learning Attitude Scale. The study was conducted between April and May 2018. Continuous variables were presented as arithmetic means, standard deviations, and minimum, maximum, and median values, while categorical variables were presented as frequencies and percentages. Pearson correlation test was used to determine the relationship between the scores of the scales.

Results: The minimum score of the nursing students was 70.00 and their maximum scores was 152.00 in the Lifelong Learning Tendency Scale, with a mean score of 122.80 ± 21.35. The minimum score of the participants was 34.00 and their maximum score was 95.00 in the E-Learning Attitude Scale, with a mean score of 62.56 ± 8.72. There was a positive and weak statistically significant relationship between the lifelong learning tendencies and e-learning attitudes of the prospective nurses (r = .238, p > .01).

Conclusion: As a result of the study, the lifelong learning tendencies of the nursing students were found to be high, and considering the subdimension scores of lifelong learning tendency scale of the nursing students, in general, the participants' motivation, persistence, and deficiency in learning scores were high and curiosity motivation scores were medium. They had medium-level attitudes toward e-learning, and there was a weak, positive relationship between their lifelong learning tendencies and e-learning attitudes. It is recommended that involving nursing students in seminars, conferences, and scientific activities will support their lifelong learning. It is also recommended to organize learning environments where they will experience positive e-learnings.