Keywords

emotional engagement, graduate nursing students, online learning environment, student engagement

 

Authors

  1. Kuchinski-Donnelly, Darlene PhD, RNC
  2. Krouse, Anne M. PhD, MBA, RN-BC

Abstract

Background: Student engagement, specifically emotional engagement, is a predictor to positive learning outcomes and academic success. Autonomy, competence, and relatedness have been associated with engagement; however, these studies have not been done in nursing.

 

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine if autonomy, competence, and relatedness predicted emotional engagement among graduate nursing students in the online learning environment.

 

Methods: A descriptive, correlational design was used to determine the levels of and relationships among emotional engagement and autonomy, competence, and relatedness as well as predictors of emotional engagement in students (n = 123) in online nursing programs.

 

Results: Findings revealed that students were emotionally engaged in their learning, and competence was the only predictor of emotional engagement.

 

Conclusion: Competency-based learning strategies should be implemented in online learning environments to increase the emotional engagement of graduate nursing students.