Motivations and Barriers for Saudi Nurses to Pursue a Doctoral Degree

Purpose:

A shortage of Saudi PhD prepared nursing school faculty and a limited number of advanced degree programs in Saudi Arabia are preventing the education of sufficient nurses to meet growing healthcare demands and prepare nurses for faculty roles.  The purpose of this study was to identify motivation and barrier factors that may influence the decision of a nurse to seek further education at the doctorate level.

Methods:

A mixed method design was used for this study based upon the Chain-of-Response Model (Cross, 1981). A questionnaire was distributed to four groups of nurses using email and social media methods. Respondents included nurses who were working in either clinical practice and academia and who had either made the decision to study for a PhD or were currently undecided. A total of 161 responses were obtained from nurses either working or studying in Saudi Arabia or internationally. The analysis strategy included descriptive statistics, ANOVA, ANCOVA, and factor analysis methods. Qualitative data analysis involved creating codes and themes to create categories of responses that could be compared with the quantitative data.

Results:

There was a statistically significant difference between the decided and undecided groups of nurses, based upon institutional or family barriers. There was no statistically significant difference between the motivation scores of the four groups or gender. Further analysis indicated, however, that institutional barriers were more important to female nurses in making the decision to seek a PhD. The length of time in practice or experience did not statistically impact the decision to pursue a doctoral degree, nor was it associated with motivation or barrier scores. Analysis of the qualitative data identified important motivation and barriers factors including prior success in study or work, the need to advance nursing knowledge, personal and work aspirations, and a belief in the importance of improving professional nursing and care outcomes. Support from family members, work colleagues and fellow students were important in deciding to study for a PhD.

Conclusion:

This study identified motivation and barrier factors that were important to Saudi Arabian nursing students considering international study for a PhD. Findings from this study may inform students from other nations who are considering overseas education. Results from this study can be used to reform policy and practice aimed at increasing the number of PhD prepared nursing faculty necessary to grow the Saudi nursing workforce and develop its nursing research infrastructure.