Evaluation of Graduate Nursing Students’ Information Literacy Self-Efficacy and Applied Skills

• Published in: The Journal of nursing education 2015-03, Vol.54 (3, Suppl), p.S26-S30
• Main Authors: Robertson, D Susie, Felicilda-Reynaldo, Rhea Faye D
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Academic Achievement; Academic Libraries; Basic Skills; Bibliographic Databases; Clinical Competence; Correlational studies; Cross-Sectional Studies; Education, Nursing, Graduate; Epistemology; Ethnography; Evidence Based Practice; Graduate studies; Higher Education; Humans; Information Literacy; Lifelong Learning; Likert Scales; Literacy; Masters Programs; Nurses; Nursing; Nursing Education Research; Nursing Students; Personality Traits; Private Colleges; Public Colleges; Research Design; Search Strategies; Self Efficacy; Skills; United States
• ISSN: 0148-4834; 1938-2421
• DOI: 10.3928/01484834-20150218-03

Maintaining evidence-based nursing practice requires information literacy (IL) skills that should be established prior to completing an undergraduate nursing degree. Based on Bandura’s social cognitive theory, this cross-sectional descriptive correlational study assessed the perceived and applied IL skills of graduate nursing students from two family nurse practitioner (FNP) programs in the midwestern United States. Results showed that although the 26 newly admitted FNP students demonstrated a high level of confidence in their IL skills, the students did not perform well in the actual IL skills test. According to Bandura, the students’ confidence in their IL knowledge should allow students to be engaged in course activities requiring IL skills. Nurse educators teaching in undergraduate or graduate programs are in key positions to incorporate IL experiences into class activities to allow for skill assessment and further practice. Further research is needed on nursing students’ IL self-efficacy and performance. [Maintaining evidence-based nursing practice requires information literacy (IL) skills that should be established prior to completing an undergraduate nursing degree. Based on Bandura’s social cognitive theory, this cross-sectional descriptive correlational study assessed the perceived and applied IL skills of graduate nursing students from two family nurse practitioner (FNP) programs in the midwestern United States. Results showed that although the 26 newly admitted FNP students demonstrated a high level of confidence in their IL skills, the students did not perform well in the actual IL skills test. According to Bandura, the students’ confidence in their IL knowledge should allow students to be engaged in course activities requiring IL skills. Nurse educators teaching in undergraduate or graduate programs are in key positions to incorporate IL experiences into class activities to allow for skill assessment and further practice. Further research is needed on nursing students’ IL self-efficacy and performance. [ J Nurs Educ . 2015;54(3, Suppl.):S26–S30.]