Examining the effects of ARCS-based urinary catheter education on first-year nursing students' learning motivation, self-efficacy and clinical skill levels

Abstract

Aim: This study aims to examine the effect of urinary catheter application training based on the ARCS motivation model on learning motivation, self-efficacy and skill levels of nursing students. Background: Effective clinical skills training in nursing requires motivational and supportive teaching methods. The ARCS model promotes active learning through attention, relevance, confidence and satisfaction. Design: The study employed a randomised controlled pre-test-post-test experimental design. Method: The study was conducted between April and June 2025 with 56 students studying in the nursing department of a university in eastern Turkey and taking the course of basic principles and practices in nursing. The participants were divided into experimental and control groups by a simple randomisation method. Both groups were trained in urinary catheterisation with the traditional method. The students in the experimental group received urinary catheterisation training based on the ARCS motivation model. Data were collected using the "Introductory Information Form", "Motivation Scale for Instructional Material", “Academic Self-Efficacy Scale” and "Urinary Catheter Application Skill Assessment Form”. Results: The students in the experimental group showed a statistically significant increase in the "Attention", "Relevance", "Confidence", “Satisfaction” dimensions and “Skill Assessment Form” scores in the post-test (p < 0.05). However, no significant difference was detected in terms of “Academic Self-Efficacy” scale scores in both intra- and inter-group comparisons (p > 0.05). Conclusion: The findings of the study revealed that the urinary catheter application training structured based on the ARCS motivation model significantly improved nursing students' learning motivation and psychomotor skills. However, the training did not have a statistically significant effect on students' academic self-efficacy levels.