International Journal of

ADVANCED AND APPLIED SCIENCES

EISSN: 2313-3724, Print ISSN: 2313-626X

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 Volume 11, Issue 7 (July 2024), Pages: 208-215

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 Original Research Paper

Impact and perceptions of distance learning among undergraduate nursing students: An exploratory cross-sectional study in Saudi Arabia

 Author(s): 

 Sarah Alamri 1, 2, 3, Asmaa Ghareeb Mohamed 2, 4, Lobna Khamis Ibrahim 5, Prema Balusamy 2, Majed Alamri 2, Mukhlid Alshammari 2, Bader Alshahri 6, Nada Alqarawi 7, Santhna Panduragan 3, Omar Qaladi 8, Noura Almadani 9, *, Mohammed Alamri 1, 3, Jalal Alharbi 2, Omar Alamri 1, Ibrahim Alasqah 7, 10

 Affiliation(s):

 1Ministry of Health, Madinah, 42311, Saudi Arabia
 2Nursing Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, University of Hafr Albatin, Hafr Albatin 39524, Saudi Arabia
 3Faculty of Nursing, Lincoln University College, 47301 Petaling Jaya 47301, Selangor, Malaysia
 4Nursing Administration, Faculty of Nursing, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt
 5Community Health Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt
 6Education and Psychology Department, College of Education, University of Hafr Albatin, Hafr Albatin 39524, Saudi Arabia
 7Department of Community, Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, College of Nursing, Qassim University, Buraydah 51452, Saudi Arabia
 8Department of Community and Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing, College of Nursing, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
 9Community Health Nursing Department, College of Nursing, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh 84428, Saudi Arabia
 10School of Health, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia

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 * Corresponding Author. 

  Corresponding author's ORCID profile: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1404-6854

 Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

 https://doi.org/10.21833/ijaas.2024.07.023

 Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated the rapid adoption of e-learning in education. Nursing students, unprepared for this shift, faced unique challenges. This study explored these challenges and influencing factors using a 53-item questionnaire completed by 184 nursing students in Saudi Arabia. Data was analyzed with SPSS version 21 at a 0.05 significance level. Most students (71%) showed positive attitudes towards e-learning, finding it useful (mean score: 3.26±0.88), with links to self-efficacy (mean score: 3.04±0.82) and time-management (mean score: 3.39±0.73). Barriers included inadequate infrastructure and technical support (mean score: 3.14±1.3), lack of training (mean score: 3.03±1.3), and poor internet connections (mean score: 3.92±1.3). Students reported uneasiness (mean score: 2.77±1.5), confusion (mean score: 2.64±1.4), stress, and nervousness (mean score: 2.55±1.4). Younger students and females showed more positive attitudes towards e-learning (p-values < 0.01 and < 0.001, respectively). Despite positive attitudes, anxiety due to lack of training and infrastructure readiness persisted. Addressing these issues is crucial to enhance the effectiveness of e-learning.

 © 2024 The Authors. Published by IASE.

 This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

 Keywords

 E-learning challenges, Nursing students, COVID-19 pandemic, Distance learning, Attitudes and anxiety

 Article history

 Received 24 February 2024, Received in revised form 13 July 2024, Accepted 14 July 2024

 Funding 

This work was supported by the deanship of scientific research, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, project number PNURSP2024R347.

 Acknowledgment 

No Acknowledgment.

 Compliance with ethical standards

 Ethical considerations

This study was approved by the Ethical Research Committee (Approval number UHB-004-09-2020). The participants provided written informed consent to participate before inclusion. Participation was voluntary, without any obligations or penalties, and anonymous to ensure the confidentiality of participants’ responses. Students were educated about their right to withdraw at any time during the study. All responses were kept anonymous; no personal identifiers were collected or visible to the researchers.

 Conflict of interest: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

 Citation:

 Alamri S, Mohamed AG, Ibrahim LK, Balusamy P, Alamri M, Alshammari M, Alshahri B, Alqarawi N, Panduragan S, Qaladi O, Almadani N, Alamri M, Alharbi J, Alamri O, and Alasqah I (2024). Impact and perceptions of distance learning among undergraduate nursing students: An exploratory cross-sectional study in Saudi Arabia. International Journal of Advanced and Applied Sciences, 11(7): 208-215

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 Tables

 Table 1 Table 2 Table 3

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