Structural and psychological empowerment and its influencing factors among nursing students in Oman.

BACKGROUND: This study explored the empowerment of nursing students to contribute to nursing education and recommend ways of increasing the engagement of nursing students in their training. The development of empowerment among nursing students leads to the maximum achievement of learning competencies and enables them to eventually become competent nurses. PURPOSE: This study examined the relationship between student nurses' characteristics, structural empowerment, and psychological empowerment. METHODS: A total of 185 nursing students were recruited through systematic sampling at Sultan Qaboos University, with a 92% response rate. Nursing students' level of psychological empowerment, in terms of meaning, competence, self-determination, and impact, and their level of structural empowerment, in terms of access to opportunity, support, information, and resources were investigated using a self-designed questionnaire. RESULTS: The results showed that "access to support" was rated as the highest dimension by the students, followed by "access to information," "informal power," "access to opportunity," "access to resources," and "formal power." The global empowerment mean score was 3.64 (SD = 1.01), and the total structural empowerment score was 20.58 (SD = 3.62). The multivariate multiple regression analysis revealed that students' year level and involvement in school organizations had multivariate effects on the four dimensions of psychological empowerment. Students who were involved in school organizations had higher scores for the dimensions of "meaning," "competence," and "impact" than students who were not involved in any school organization. CONCLUSION: Power can be either developed or acquired, and its definition is expressed based on the achievement objective. Age is not a barrier, as it had little or no impact on nursing student experiences and no correlation with structural empowerment.

Self-directed learning readiness and learning styles among Omani nursing students: Implications for online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic compelled many academic institutions to resort to distance learning and online education, requiring a higher degree of student self-direction and motivation to learn. This study explored self-directed learning (SDL) readiness among nursing students in Oman, their learning styles (LS), and the association of demographic variables and LS with SDL. METHODS: The study, which followed a descriptive, cross-sectional design, surveyed 236 Omani nursing students via an online questionnaire containing two standardized scales: the Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale for Nursing Education and the Learning Style Scales. RESULTS: Nursing students were identified as having a low level of SDL (mean = 149.58). Probation status (ß = -0.165; p = 0.021) was negatively associated with SDL. In terms of LS, solitary (ß = 0.217; p = 0.001), competitive (ß = 0.201; p = 0.005), imaginative (ß = 0.19; p = 0.012), and perceptive LS (ß = 0.437; p = 0.0) were positively associated with SDL. An analytical LS was negatively associated with SDL (ß = -0.155; p = 0.022). CONCLUSION: Academic probation status and an analytical LS both yielded lower SDL scores. Perceptive, solitary, competitive, or imaginative learners tended to have higher SDL scores. Deliberate planning and strategies are necessary to help probation students cope with academic demands, especially with the advent of intensified digital education. Because no single learning environment can fulfill the needs of every LS, nurse educators must implement SDL-aimed teaching and learning strategies that appeal to a variety of learners.

The utilization of social networking sites, their perceived benefits and their potential for improving the study habits of nursing students in five countries.

BACKGROUND: The abundance of easy and accessible information and the rapid development of social networking sites (SNSs) have proven that the world is small and within reach. The great implication of this interconnectivity is attributable to the change in the learning and sharing environment, which for the most part is something that classrooms are lacking. Considering the potential implications of SNSs in nursing education reveals the benefits of SNSs in allowing students to communicate and interact with a wider audience and beyond the classroom. The aim of this study is to identify the extent of SNS utilization, the perceived benefits of SNSs and the potential of SNSs for improving the study habits of nursing students in five countries (Israel, Iraq, Oman, the Philippines and Turkey). METHODS: This study is a quantitative cross-sectional study that determined the relationship between the utilization of SNSs, the perceived benefits of SNSs, and the potential of SNSs for improving the study habits of nursing students in the five participating countries (Israel, Iraq, Oman, the Philippines, and Turkey). This paper is based on carefully analysing the survey responses of a sample of 1137 students from an online hosting site. The online instrument focuses on the extent of the utilization and benefits of SNSs according to their accessibility, usability, efficiency and reliability. RESULTS: Based on the Pearson correlation coefficient (r) our findings, reveal a significant positive correlation between the extent of a possible improvement in study habits and the extent of SNS utilization in terms of the four domains, namely, accessibility (r = 0.246), usability (r = 0.377), reliability (r = 0.287) and efficiency (r = 0.387). CONCLUSION: It can be concluded that there is a significant positive correlation between students' study habits and the extent of SNS utilization, meaning that the more students devote themselves to their study habits, the higher the level of SNS utilization. The use of SNSs by nursing students has positive and negative implications, and there is greater potential for further improving approaches to nursing education through the adaptation of curricula based on the proper utilization of SNSs.

A Multicountry Study on Nursing Students' Self-Perceived Competence and Barriers to Evidence-Based Practice.

BACKGROUND: Nursing education and training are essential in the attainment of evidence-based practice (EBP) competence in nursing students. Although there is a growing literature on EBP among nursing students, most of these studies are confined to a single cultural group. Thus, cross-cultural studies may provide shared global perspectives and theoretical understandings for the advancement of knowledge in this critical area. AIMS: This study compared self-perceived EBP competence among nursing students in four selected countries (India, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, and Oman) as well as perceived barriers to EBP adoption. METHODS: A descriptive, cross-sectional, and comparative survey of 1,383 nursing students from India, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, and Oman participated in the study. The Evidence-Based Practice Questionnaire (EBP-COQ) and the BARRIERS scale were used to collect data during the months of January 2016 to August 2017. RESULTS: Cross-country comparisons revealed significant differences in EBP competence (F = 24.437, p < .001), knowledge (F = 3.621, p = .013), skills (F = 9.527, p < .001), and attitudes (F = 74.412, p < .001) among nursing students. Three variables including nursing students' gender (ß = .301, p < .001), type of institution, (ß = -0.339, p = .001), and type of nursing student (ß = .321, p < .001) were associated with EBP competence. Barriers to EBP adoption included having no authority to change patient care policies (M = 1.65, SD = 1.05), slow publication of evidence (M = 1.59, SD = 1.01), and paucity of time in the clinical area to implement the evidence (M = 1.59, SD = 1.05). LINKING EVIDENCE TO ACTION: Both academe and hospital administration can play a pivotal role in the successful acquisition of EBP competence in nursing students.

Self-efficacy and self-care behaviours among adults with type 2 diabetes.

BACKGROUND: Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) has an impact on an individuals' health and is influenced by glycemic control. AIM: To examine the relationship between glycemic control, demographic and clinical factors on self-efficacy and self-care behaviours among adults with T2DM. DESIGN: A correlational, descriptive study was used. One hundred and forty Omani adults with T2DM were recruited from a public hospital. METHODS: Data on self-efficacy, self-care behaviours and glycemic control were collected between April and July 2016. The study was approved by the College Ethics Committee and Hospital Board. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted. RESULTS: Most adults had a fasting blood glucose >7.2mmol/L (90.7%), with the majority demonstrating 'uncontrolled' or poor HbA1c of >8% (65%). Variance of self-care behaviour (20.6%) and 31.3% of the variance of the self-efficacy was explained by the age, duration of diabetes, medication, HbA1c and prevention of activities of living. CONCLUSIONS: Adults with T2DM with poor glycemic control were more probable to have poor self-efficacy and self-care behaviours. Glycemic control has an effect on improving diet, exercise, medication, foot care efficacy and behaviours. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The study recommends using these findings to plan self-efficacy and self-care behaviour to improve glycemic control among adults with T2DM.