The effect of a surgical nursing course structured with role-playing and flipped learning methods on students’ motivation and attitudes toward clinical practice

Aim: Nursing education is a holistic process with both theoretical and practical dimensions. Students’ motivation and attitudes toward clinical practice are crucial for success.This study aimed to examine the effects of a surgical nursing course structured with role-playing and flipped learning methods on nursing students’ motivation and clinical practice attitudes.Material and Methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional, correlational study was conducted with second-year students enrolled in the Surgical Diseases Nursing course in the 2024–2025 academic year at a university in the Black Sea Region of Turkey (n=113). Based on Cohen’s medium effect size, the minimum sample was 54, and 89 students participated. Role-playing and flipped learning were applied within the course. The data were collected using the Information Form, the Instructional Materials Motivation Scale, and the Korzul Clinical Practice Attitude Scale, and the level of statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: The mean age of participants was 20.96±2.66, and 74.2% were female (n=66). Students’ motivation toward teaching materials was moderate (51.52±10.83), while attitudes toward clinical practice were high (84.57±12.88). A positive, moderate, and significant correlation was found between motivation and clinical practice attitude scores (rho=0.446, p