Determination of nursing students' self-efficacy levels and affecting factors in distance education

This descriptive and correlational study was carried out to determine the self-efficacy levels of nursing students towards distance education during Covid-19 pandemic and the factors affecting them. A total of 632 undergraduate students studying in nursing undergraduate programs in Turkey between February and April in the 2020-2021 academic year participated in the study. The data were collected online through the "Survey Form", developed by the researchers based on the literature, and the "Online Learning Self-Efficacy Scale". Descriptive statistical methods, the t-test in independent groups to test the difference between the groups, One-Way Variance (ANOVA), Tukey, Pearson Correlation, and Multiple Linear regression analysis were used in data analysis. The mean score of the nursing students from the Online Learning Self-Efficacy Scale (OLSES) was 74.54 ± 14.42 (min-max: 22-105). The independent factors that increase the self-efficacy level of students were determined to be female gender status (β=0.11; t=4.03; p=0.001), use of computers/tablets or more than one technological device in distance education (β=0.08; t=2.53; p=0.012), thinking that distance education provides the advantage of studying more (β=0.09; t=2.79; p=0.005), thinking that distance education prevents loss of time by commuting (β=0.10; t=3.30; p=0.001), level of satisfaction with distance education (β=0.23; t=5.53; p=0.001), and technology usage skill level (β=0.28; t=9.06; p=0.001). As a result, it was determined that the online learning scores of the nursing students were good. It is recommended to create positive online learning environments to increase students' positive perceptions and satisfaction levels about distance education, to support them in using computers/more than one technological device, and to improve students' technology use skill levels with training to be provided by universities for increasing their self-efficacy in online learning.