The Impact of Online Learning Methods on Nursing Students' Motivation During the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Mixed Method Study

Objective: Online learning methods and digital tools have become more popular since the COVID-19 pandemic. This study investigated the effect of online learning methods on nursing students' motivation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This study adopted an explanatory sequential mixed research design involving a quasi-experimental single-group posttest and a qualitative design. The research was conducted in the spring semester of the 2020-2021 academic year at the department of nursing of a state university in Ankara, Turkey. The sample consisted of 237 students taking the “Surgical Diseases Nursing” course and the sample of the qualitative stage consisted of 20 students. The research had three stages. In the first stage, participants engaged in online interactive activities (Kahoot, Mentimeter, etc.), discussed case videos, and prepared cases based on group counseling throughout the semester. In the second stage, they discussed the group cases and then filled out the Instructional Materials Motivation Survey (IMMS) and the Achievement-Oriented Motivation Scale (AOMS). In the third stage, the researchers conducted three focus-group interviews to identify participants' experiences with online learning methods. The quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Spearman’s correlation coefficient, while the qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis. Results: Participants had a total mean IMMS and AOMS score of 94.83±15.79 and 142.39±18.80, respectively. The results showed that participants were highly motivated by online learning methods. The focus-group interviews revealed three themes: “learning process,” “learning method,” and “personal development/experience. Conclusion: Nursing students are highly motivated by online learning methods. Most nursing students believe online learning methods make them more motivated and interested, classes more fun, and new knowledge more permanent. They also think that online learning methods facilitate learning. Therefore, universities should offer nursing students more online learning methods.