Vol. 2 No. 3 (2025): December 2025
Articles

Assessing the Motivations of Nursing Students Graduated from Non-STEM SHS Strands to Pursue BSN

pdf
  • Julian Grayfrex A. Alcomendas,
  • Drexel Heinz Cruz
Julian Grayfrex A. Alcomendas
University of Perpetual Help System DALTA, Las Piñas City, Philippines
Drexel Heinz Cruz
University of Perpetual Help System DALTA, Las Piñas City, Philippines
DOI: https://doi.org/10.70848/cnj.v2i3.72

Published 2025-12-31

Keywords

  • Bachelor of Science in Nursing,
  • Career Choice,
  • Motivations,
  • Students,
  • Theory of Planned Behavior

How to Cite

Alcomendas, J. G., & Drexel Heinz. (2025). Assessing the Motivations of Nursing Students Graduated from Non-STEM SHS Strands to Pursue BSN. Celebes Nursing Journal, 2(3), 224–235. https://doi.org/10.70848/cnj.v2i3.72

Abstract

Introduction: Previous studies on nursing career choice commonly emphasize interest in healthcare, job security, and social influence; however, limited literature explores why non-STEM Senior High School graduates pursue the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), particularly in the Philippine context. Objective: This study aims to contribute to the knowledge base of the nursing profession and catalyze or help develop positive changes and improvements in different sectors. Methods: This quantitative descriptive-correlational study examined the factors influencing BSN students who did not graduate from STEM strands in Senior High School to pursue a nursing career, guided by the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). Using purposive non-random sampling, 105 participants completed a survey assessing career opportunities and job safety, interest in healthcare, family and peer influence, perceived prestige, institutional characteristics, and selected demographic variables. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, one-way analysis of variance, and multiple regression analysis. Results: Career opportunities and job safety (M = 3.36) and perceived prestige and societal expectations (M = 3.26) were strongly influential in career choice. Interest in healthcare (M = 2.98) and institutional characteristics (M = 2.94) were influential, whereas family and peer influence (M = 2.42) was not. TPB assessment showed a very positive attitude toward BSN (M = 3.55), moderate parental influence (M = 2.97), and moderate perceived behavioral control (M = 2.95). Demographic variables were not significantly associated with any factor. Among TPB constructs, attitude, parental subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control significantly influenced career choice. Conclusion: The study concludes that non-STEM students’ motivation to pursue BSN is driven primarily by career-related considerations rather than social influence or prior academic alignment.

pdf

References

  1. Ali, D. A., Ncila, O., Ouhhamou, S., Rizzo, A., Chirico, F., & Khabbache, H. (2024). Motivations driving career choices: Insights from a study among nursing students. SAGE Open Nursing, 10. https://doi.org/10.1177/23779608241255876
  2. Choi, H., & Rajaguru, V. (2024). Influencing factors on career preparation behavior of nursing students in the post COVID-19 era. Nursing Reports, 14(1), 545–555. https://doi.org/10.3390/nursrep14010042
  3. Choudhary, K. (2024). An approach to enhancing continuous evaluation through self-reflection among students of the foundation program in design course. Creative Education, 15(6), 1003–1011. https://doi.org/10.4236/ce.2024.156061
  4. Christensen, S., Davies, R. S., Larsen, R. A. A., Harris, S., Hanks, J., & Bowles, B. (2022). Parental perceptions of the teaching profession: Factors that predict parental encouragement of students to enter the teaching profession. Education Sciences, 12(11), Article 734. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12110734
  5. Čukljek, S., Babić, J., Hošnjak, A. M., Fičko, S. L., & Smrekar, M. (2020a). Reasons for student enrollment in nursing studies. Croatian Nursing Journal, 4(2), 183–191. https://doi.org/10.24141/2/4/2/4
  6. Derban, P., Negrea, R., Rominu, M., & Marsavina, L. (2021). Influence of the printing angle and load direction on flexure strength in 3D printed materials for provisional dental restorations. Materials, 14(12), Article 3376. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14123376
  7. Etherton, K., Steele-Johnson, D., Salvano, K., & Kovacs, N. (2020). Resilience effects on student performance and well-being: The role of self-efficacy, self-set goals, and anxiety. The Journal of General Psychology, 149(3), 279–298. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221309.2020.1835800
  8. Fontanilla, D. M. C., Rebollido, C. T., Anacito, A. E. M. M. V., Algar, C. F., Cruz, J. M. D., Herrera, M. C., Palcon, M., Lim, A., & Apolinar, H. A. (2023a). Reasons for the choice of nursing as a career among students in a private university in Manila, Philippines. International Journal of Advanced Research, 11(8), 679–683. https://doi.org/10.21474/ijar01/17437
  9. Hadiyati, M. A., & Astuti, B. (2023). Student careers: What factors influence career choice? Journal of Education Research and Evaluation, 7(4), 608–614. https://doi.org/10.23887/jere.v7i4.61686
  10. Kallio, H., Kangasniemi, M., & Hult, M. (2022). Registered nurses’ perceptions of their career—An interview study. Journal of Nursing Management, 30(7), 3378–3385. https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.13796
  11. Kovner, C. (2022). COVID‐19 and the supply and demand for registered nurses. International Nursing Review, 69(2), 118–120. https://doi.org/10.1111/inr.12759
  12. Lee, T., Lee, S. J., Yoon, Y. S., Ji, H., Yoon, S., Lee, S., & Ji, Y. (2023). Personal factors and clinical learning environment as predictors of nursing students’ readiness for practice: A structural equation modeling analysis. Asian Nursing Research, 17(1), 44–52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anr.2023.01.003
  13. Liaw, S. Y., Wu, L. T., Chow, Y. L., Lim, S., & Tan, K. K. (2017). Career choice and perceptions of nursing among healthcare students in higher educational institutions. Nurse Education Today, 52, 66–72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2017.02.008
  14. Lin, Y., Wang, X., Zhang, X., Hu, H., Liu, L., Pang, K., Li, Y., Hu, C., Sun, Z., & Li, X. (2025). The impact of undergraduate nursing students’ time management disposition on innovative behavior: The chain mediating role of academic self-efficacy and flow experience. Frontiers in Psychology, 16. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1447121
  15. Ling, P., Hong, L. C. M., & Yun, L. S. (2021). Determinant factors in selecting university: Evidence from secondary school students in Sarawak. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 10(3). https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarped/v10-i3/11018
  16. Macayana, F. B. (2025). From senior high to science education: Factors influencing NonSTEM senior high school graduates in choosing BSE science as their degree program. Pakistan Journal of Life and Social Sciences (PJLSS), 23(1). https://doi.org/10.57239/pjlss-2025-23.1.00545
  17. McKenna, L., Mambu, I. R., Sommers, C. L., Reisenhofer, S., & McCaughan, J. (2023a). Nurses’ and nursing students’ reasons for entering the profession: Content analysis of open-ended questions. BMC Nursing, 22(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-023-01307-8
  18. Moses, P., Cheah, P., Tey, T., & Chiew, J. (Eds.). (2020). Development of the theory of planned behaviour questionnaire: Students’ career choices in STEM (28th ed.). International Conference on Computers in Education.
  19. Muñoz, L. R. (2020). Graduate student self-efficacy: Implications of a concept analysis. Journal of Professional Nursing, 37(1), 112–121. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2020.07.001
  20. Neumbe, I. M., Ssenyonga, L., Soita, D. J., Iramiot, J. S., & Nekaka, R. (2023). Attitudes and perceptions of undergraduate nursing students towards the nursing profession. PLoS ONE, 18(7), Article e0280700. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0280700
  21. Owusu, M. K., Owusu, A., Fiorgbor, E. T., & Atakora, J. (2021). Career aspiration of students: The influence of peers, teachers and parents. Journal of Education Society and Behavioural Science, 67–79. https://doi.org/10.9734/jesbs/2021/v34i230306
  22. Pourhaji, F., Jamali, J., Taraghdar, M. M., Peyman, N., & Tehrani, H. (2024). Design and validation of a questionnaire on the factors influencing self-care behaviors in patients with multiple sclerosis (QFASMS). BMC Neurology, 24(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12883-023-03522-x
  23. Pujilestari, S., Sayuti, M., & Tentama, F. (2021). The influence of parental guidance, group of peers, school promotion, and career information on course preference decision class X SMK Muhammadiyah in Bantul. Journal of Vocational Education Studies, 4(1), Article 11. https://doi.org/10.12928/joves.v4i1.2073
  24. Qiu, P., Wang, H., Wang, H., Miao, L., & Song, J. (2025). The relationship between college students’ self-identity and future orientation: A moderated chain-mediating model. Frontiers in Psychology, 16. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1461159
  25. Regulacion, C. A. D. (2022). Influence on career preferences of the senior high school graduating students. International Journal of Research Publications, 104(1). https://doi.org/10.47119/ijrp1001041720223572
  26. Schober, P., & Vetter, T. R. (2020). Nonparametric statistical methods in medical research. Anesthesia & Analgesia, 131(6), 1862–1863. https://doi.org/10.1213/ane.0000000000005101
  27. Shaikh, F., Solangi, M., & Abro, S. (2020). Performance of post graduate students using multiple regression analysis (Case study). Mathematical Theory and Modeling, 10(8), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.7176/mtm/10-8-01
  28. Shatz, I. (2023). Assumption-checking rather than (just) testing: The importance of visualization and effect size in statistical diagnostics. Behavior Research Methods, 56(2), 826–845. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13428-023-02072-x
  29. Sherwani, R. A. K., Shakeel, H., Awan, W. B., Faheem, M., & Aslam, M. (2021). Analysis of COVID-19 data using neutrosophic Kruskal Wallis H test. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 21(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-021-01410-x
  30. Stoica, R. E., Bota, O. A., & Cazan, A. (2025). Dimensions of career decisions: A validated tool for Romanian high school students. Education Sciences, 15(6), Article 703. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15060703
  31. Tamimi, N. N. M. A., Mashrafi, O. M. S. A., & Thottoli, M. M. (2023). Exploring the factors that influence university selection: Insights from college students. Journal of Business Management Review, 4(6), 439–454. https://doi.org/10.47153/jbmr46.7142023
  32. Teresa-Morales, C., Rodríguez-Pérez, M., & Ramos-Pichardo, J. D. (2023). Reasons for choosing and completing nursing studies among incoming and outgoing students: A qualitative study. Nurse Education Today, 125, Article 105794. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2023.105794
  33. Wang, X., Dai, M., & Short, K. M. (2024). One size doesn’t fit all: How different types of learning motivations influence engineering undergraduate students’ success outcomes. International Journal of STEM Education, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-024-00502-6