Academic Motivation, and Self-Efficacy among Undergraduate Nursing Students in Riyadh Elm University: A Cross-Sectional Survey

This study investigated academic motivation and self-efficacy among 211 undergraduate nursing students, exploring their relationship and demographic influences. The sample was predominantly female (66.35%), aged 23-25 years (55.92%), mostly single (65.88%), and largely in their final academic year. Students exhibited "moderate" overall academic motivation, yet showed "low" intrinsic motivation for reading interesting authors, and some experienced "low" amotivation. Overall self-efficacy was "moderately confident". Students felt "very confident" in understanding complicated ideas (score = 3.42), but only "slightly confident" in learning all module material (score = 2.33) and completing the hardest assigned work (score = 2.25). A significant, weak-to-moderate positive correlation was found between academic motivation and self-efficacy (r = 0.247, p = 0.026). Notably, demographic variables (age, gender, marital status, year level) did not significantly impact academic motivation. In conclusion, nursing students demonstrated moderate motivation and self-efficacy, with specific areas requiring enhancement, particularly in managing workload and certain intrinsic motivators. The positive correlation suggests that interventions targeting one construct can positively influence the other. Nurse educators should implement strategies to boost confidence in handling challenging material and foster engagement to support academic success and professional development.