Learning engagement and its associated factors among nursing students in China: a cross-sectional study based on latent profile analysis.

Abstract

To examine the latent profiles of nursing students' learning engagement and clarify the factors related to these distinct profiles. A cross-sectional study. Four nursing schools in Sichuan Province, China. A convenience sample of 1250 full-time nursing students. Demographic characteristics, future time perspective, academic delay of gratification and learning engagement of nursing students were assessed using self-reported questionnaires. A latent profile analysis was used to identify the latent profiles of learning engagement among nursing students and use multivariate logistic regression to examine the factors associated with these identified traits. Three profiles of learning engagement were identified based on the nursing students' responses to the learning engagement assessment, designated as 'low learning engagement group' (8.4%), 'moderate learning engagement group' (59.8%) and 'high learning engagement group' (31.8%). Multinomial logistic regression showed that, relative to the high learning engagement group, junior college qualification (OR=0.505, 95% CI 0.268 to 0.951, p=0.034) and higher academic delay of gratification (OR=0.959, 95% CI 0.927 to 0.991, p=0.013) were associated with lower odds of low engagement, while student leadership (OR=0.801, 95% CI 0.675 to 0.954, p=0.011) and higher future time perspective (OR=0.987, 95% CI 0.978 to 0.997, p=0.008) were associated with lower odds of moderate engagement. Most nursing students were categorised into the moderate learning engagement group. Compared with the high learning engagement group, junior college qualification and academic delay of gratification were associated with lower odds of being classified into the low engagement group. Likewise, student leadership and future time perspective showed lower odds of being classified into the moderate engagement group. Future time perspective and academic delay of gratification show positive correlations with learning engagement, suggesting that these factors may be relevant targets for further research.