Exploring the factors affecting the motivation for learning from the perspective of public health students: A qualitative study

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences Volume 6 | Issue 2 Article 19 2019 Exploring the factors affecting the motivation for learning from the perspective of public health students: A qualitative study Leila Allahqoli Vinnaras Nithyanantham Azam Rahmani Azra Allahveisi Reza Ghanei Gheshlagh See next page for additional authors Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/jmms Part of the Educational Methods Commons, Educational Psychology Commons, Educational Technology Commons, Mental and Social Health Commons, and the University Extension Commons Recommended Citation Allahqoli, Leila; Nithyanantham, Vinnaras; Rahmani, Azam; Allahveisi, Azra; Gheshlagh, Reza Ghanei; Fallahi, Arezoo; and NematShahrbabaki, Babak (2019) "Exploring the factors affecting the motivation for learning from the perspective of public health students: A qualitative study," Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences: Vol. 6 : Iss. 2 , Article 19. DOI: 10.22543/7674.62.P319326 Available at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/jmms/vol6/iss2/19 This Research Article is brought to you for free and open access by ValpoScholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences by an authorized administrator of ValpoScholar. For more information, please contact a ValpoScholar staff member at . Exploring the factors affecting the motivation for learning from the perspective of public health students: A qualitative study Authors Leila Allahqoli, Vinnaras Nithyanantham, Azam Rahmani, Azra Allahveisi, Reza Ghanei Gheshlagh, Arezoo Fallahi, and Babak Nemat-Shahrbabaki This research article is available in Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences: https://scholar.valpo.edu/jmms/vol6/iss2/19 https://scholar.valpo.edu/jmms/ https://proscholar.org/jmms/ ISSN: 2392-7674 J Mind Med Sci. 2019; 6(2): 319-326 doi: 10.22543/7674.62.P319326 Received for publication: July 30, 2019 Accepted:September 31, 2019 Research article Exploring the factors affecting the motivation for learning from the perspective of public health students: A qualitative study Leila Allahqoli1, Vinnaras Nithyanantham2, Azam Rahmani3, Azra Allahveisi4, Reza Ghanei Gheshlagh5, Arezoo Fallahi6*, Babak Nemat-Shahrbabaki7 1 Iran University of Medical Sciences (IUMS), Endometriosis Research Center, Tehran, Iran Lebanese French University, Department of General Education, Erbil, Kurdistan, Iraq 3 Nursing and Midwifery Care Research Center, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 4 Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Department of Anatomy, Infertility Center of Besat Hospital, Iran 5 Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Research Institute for Health Development, Sanandaj, Iran 6 Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Research Institute for Health Development, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran 7 Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Health Network of Sanandaj, Sanandaj, Iran 2 Abstract Objective. Despite the significant role of motivation in achieving success among public health students, students often do not demonstrate adequate motivation for learning and education. This study was performed to determine factors affecting the motivation for learning from the perspective of public health students via content analysis approach. Methods. This qualitative study was conducted at Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences in Sanandaj, Iran in 2017. 15 students were included in the study by using purposive sampling. Data were collected through personal interviews, group discussions, and field notes, and they were analyzed through conventional content analysis. Several parameters were taken into account to support the accuracy and the strength of the data: acceptability, confirmability, and transferability. Results. Five categories were derived from the data analysis, including “University Policy”, “Health Status”, “Teacher’s Role”, “Student-Related Factors” and “University Facilities”. Attention to the health status and its priority in the opinion of people, authorities, and educational system were the most important factors involved in the students’ motivation for learning. Conclusions. To increase motivation for learning, students have diverse needs that should be met. Attention to the components of motivation for learning not only enhances academic achievement but also promotes the formation of health behaviors in the society. Keywords  Highlights ✓ Public health students have different needs in order to preserve and increase motivation for learning. ✓ The family, university, and student play pivotal roles in the motivation for learning; and the attitude of society, authorities and policymakers towards the health status is of special significance. student, motivation, learning, public health, content analysis To cite this article: Allahqoli L, Nithyanantham V, Rahmani A, Allahveisi A, Gheshlagh RG, Fallahi A, Nemat-Shahrbabaki B. Exploring the factors affecting the motivation for learning from the perspective of public health students: A qualitative study. J Mind Med Sci. 2019; 6(2): 319326. DOI: 10.22543/7674.62.P319326 *Corresponding author: Arezoo Fallahi, Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Research Institute for Health Development, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran. Email: Leila Allahqoli et al. Introduction The main mission of the university, the most important center of education and research in every country (1), is training the necessary expert manpower, promoting and developing knowledge, expanding research, and providing favorable grounds for the development of the country (2). Students, the future human resource of the community, need motivation to achieve academic success and to provide quality services (3-5). Motivation is defined as the desire of a person to perform activities. Lack of motivation causes pessimism, anxiety, and failure in learning (6, 7). Students, as a vulnerable group, may experience changes in motivation for learning due to various reasons such as separation from family and experiencing new social communications (5, 8). Students and health personnel urgently need motivation for cooperating with people and other organizations, undertaking health-related responsibilities, recognizing the problems, and planning and implementing the programs. They need to be motivated enough to learn and acquire the skills related to their major (9, 10). Despite the important role of motivation for learning among public health students, studies have shown that this group of students does not possess sufficient motivation for learning and education, and further, that they experience depression more often than students of other health sciences and medical majors (1, 11). Several domestic and international studies have attributed students’ motivation for learning to factors such as providing feedback, students’ encouragement, ed (...truncated)