Moderating effect of organizational climate on the relationship between research motivation and learning engagement among nurses taking part-time master’s program: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

To investigate the moderating effects of perceived organizational climate on the relationship between research motivation and learning engagement in research among nurses pursuing a part-time master's degree. Research motivation positively affects learning engagement in research. However, the role of perceived organizational climate has not been explored in nurses taking part-time master's program in China. This study examined the relationships between various types of research motivation and learning engagement in research and whether the perceived organizational climate moderates the relationship between the other variables. This cross-sectional one-center study was performed on 230 nurses by assessing learning engagement in research, research motivation and perceived organizational climate. The mean age of participants was 31.3±3.5 years and 91.3% were female. Participants who had been assigned a supervisor showed higher learning engagement in research than those without a supervisor (3.65±0.60 vs. 3.48±0.61; P<0.001). Participants who had experience conducting research reported higher learning engagement in research than those with no experience (3.30±0.71 vs. 3.14±0.83; P<0.05). The mean score of learning engagement in research was 3.39±0.63. The mean scores for intrinsic, extrinsic and failure-avoidance motivation were 3.72±0.61, 3.71±0.71 and 3.43±0.70, respectively. As for perceived organizational climate, the mean score was 122.70 out of 148. Learning engagement in research was significantly positively correlated with intrinsic research motivation, extrinsic research motivation and perceived organizational climate scores (r=0.441, 0.336, 0.307, p<0.001, respectively). Perceived organizational climate moderated the correlation between intrinsic and extrinsic research motivation and learning engagement in research. Nurses taking the master's program perceived a higher level of perceived organizational climate could strengthen the relationship between intrinsic and extrinsic research motivation and learning engagement in research. More organizational support can enhance learning engagement in research by reinforcing intrinsic and extrinsic research motivation. Universities can assign supervisors promptly. Universities and hospitals can provide education about the importance of research in nursing and reinforce their intrinsic and extrinsic research motivation. Hospitals can adjust policies based on the needs of nurses taking the master's program to provide organizational support, to facilitate the research learning process.