Learning Motivation in Students Admitted to Nursing School by Recommendation Who Were Assigned Study Material Prior to Starting School

Abstract

　This study aimed to examine the learning motivation in students admitted to nursing school by recommendation who were assigned study material prior to starting school. Thirty-nine students admitted to “A” Nursing School by recommendation were asked to write a book report on readings assigned as college-preparation material. We analyzed the book reports using B. Berelson’s method for content analysis.

　We summarized the results of the analyses into the following 5 categories of learning motivation : a desire “to know and investigate the essentials of nursing”, “to learn the ideal role and function of a nurse”, “to learn about growth development during infancy and child-rearing”, “to find a learning environment for self-growth”, and “to explore the meaning and essence of care”. These findings suggest that the college-preparation assignments function effectively to：1） reinforce existing motivation for learning；2） arouse new learning motivation；and 3） promote self-growth.