The Relationship Between Inquiry Teaching and Research Morale in Nursing Students

Evaluation of the effectiveness of learning environments in promoting research morale is a step towards shifting the education system from a memorization-oriented approach to strengthening research thinking and creating incentives for research skills in students. One of the factors affecting research thinking and skill is teaching method. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between inquiry teaching and research morale among the nursing students of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. This descriptive-correlational study was conducted on all nursing graduate students in 2016-17 academic year. The sample size was estimated at 181 and subjects were selected through random sampling. Data collection tools included a researcher-made 28-item inquiry teaching questionnaire and a researcher-made 35-item research morale questionnaire. Both had been checked for validity and reliability. The data were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis. There was a positive and significant relationship between research morale and inquiry teaching components, namely reasoning (r=0.293, p<0.001), problem-solving (r=0.234, p<0.011), hypothesis-building (r=0.229, p<0.013), and curiosity (r=0.462, p<0.001). Results of correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis showed that of these components, curiosity was a dependable predictor of research morale among the nursing students. Based on the results from the components of these components, curiosity was a dependable predictor of research morale among the nursing students. So paying attention to students' curiosity is an effective factor in encouraging them to research.