DISCUSSION

Given the role of motivation in the choice of academic majors and the importance of recognizing the factors involved in the choice of academic disciplines, especially in medical sciences, this comparative study was carried out to evaluate the nursing and midwifery students’ motivation for choosing nursery and midwifery disciplines at Bushehr University of Medical Sciences. Based on the findings of the current study, out of three types of motivation, namely material, social, and spiritual motivation, spiritual motivation took up the highest mean score in nursing and midwifery students. This finding is consistent with those of the studies carried out by Dalir and Arfaie (8 and 17), but is not consistent with the findings reported by Suarez and Karin (18 and 19). This inconsistency can be attributed to the difference in the attitude and culture of the two populations.

In this study, a significant difference was found in social motivation between midwifery students and nursing students observed. This finding is consistent with the research findings reported by Dalir et al. Alizadeh who argued that the parents and friends opinion about the choice of midwifery and nursing as academic majors had led to a significant difference in social motivation between the choices of these two majors (8 and 13). In contrast, this finding is inconsistent with the studies carried out by Karin and Suarez (18 and 19). This contradiction can be due to the differences in cultural backgrounds of the communities under study since all midwifery students are women and, thereby, women’s goal for entering the university may be to experience socialization and social interaction due to the limitations women are faced with. However, the presence of male students in nursing discipline can moderate this effect. On the other hand, negative cultural and social attitudes towards the nursing profession may have caused it to affect people’s viewpoint in the lower social status of this profession. In this regard, Law et al. claimed that the negative attitude toward nursing profession in more than 50 percent of students was due to the low status of this profession in society. In the same way, Karaoz referred to the low status of nursing profession as the main reason for students’ negative attitude toward nursing profession (20 and 21). In addition, the possibility of establishing an independent office and, thus, creating less tension compared to teamwork have been referred to as the factors effective in the selection of midwifery as the academic discipline in various studies. This can be due to the influence of parents and the society’s perspective of midwifery (22 and 23).

Male nursing students enjoyed higher levels of spiritual motivation than female students, which is inconsistent with the studies conducted in this field because labor market (material motivation), the possibility of employment, and job security in male students have been reported among the main causes of major choices in this field (9, 8, 3.7). According to the above-mentioned studies, the high level of material motivation in male students compared to female students is the main reason for choosing this discipline among boys. It seems that the increased spiritual motivation in male students in this study and its difference with the mentioned studies can be due to the creation of a proper culture in understanding the role of male nurses in the community in accordance with the cultural-religious context of the country, the emphasis of authorities on the implementation of the compliance plan at treatment centers in recent years, and bringing up the male nurses in hospitals with strong motivation. On the other hand, this contradiction can be due to the highlight of the economic role of women in meeting the material needs of families, which has caused men not to choose their jobs with such a strong motivation as that in the past. The fact that people select such professions as nursing with the intention of God’s satisfaction and altruistic purposes are regarded as a strong point and success in the education of students since the availability of spiritual motivation is one of the components and the main objectives of the nursing profession.

In the present study, high material motivation in the sixth-semester nursing students and, then, the reduction of this motivation in the eighth-semester students can be due to the attraction of students above semesters 5 to clinical fields as student work. On the other hand, due to the untimely payment of salaries disproportionate with the workload, this motivation is gradually reduced and the reflection of this reduced financial motivation can be observed in motivation for choosing the nursing profession. In this regard, Mahmoudi et al. have referred to low salaries and wages as the least important factors in choosing the nursing profession (23).

Another finding of this study is the presence of high social motivation in married students of midwifery, which is in line with the results of a study conducted by Asadzadeh et al. (3). However, other studies in this area have not reported similar or contradictory results (8, 9, and 15). The advisability of parents and caregivers and proximity to the residential location are among the other dimensions of social motivation in this study while the role of the surrounding individuals and parents in choosing the academic major were the factors that could justify the high social motivation for choosing the academic major among married students in Asadzadeh et al.’s study.

In this study, spiritual motivation in midwifery students with mothers of lower education has witnessed an increase, which is consistent with Asadzade’s findings (3). In fact, Asadzadeh found that parents with higher education had higher material attitudes towards the nursing profession. This can be attributed to the higher possibility of employment in this profession from the perspective of these parents. On the other hand, educated parents will have normally higher socio-economic status because of their better and more useful job opportunities and this affects their children’s motivation for the choice of future careers.

One of the other findings of this study is the increased level of social motivation in midwifery students with higher academic semesters, which is consistent with the results of some studies in this field (4, 8, and 13). On the other hand, the findings of Arfaie’s study on the midwifery students of Azad University of Semnan and Alizadeh’s study on the students of Azad University of Rasht are not in line with the results of this study (13 and 17). This difference seems to be due to the type of the research population (Islamic Azad University) since these students have to pay tuition for their education. Therefore, they willingly select their desired academic majors not merely for the sake of proximity to their parents’ residential location or due to their friends’ opinions.

CONCLUSION

The promotion of educational consultation at schools and the invitation of successful nurses and midwives in society in order to acquaint students with these professions and their importance can clarify the real position of these jobs in the public domain.

Given that this study was conducted only on nursing and midwifery students at one university, the obtained results cannot be generalized to all nursing and midwifery students. Therefore, the conduct of research at broader levels across multiple nursing and midwifery schools and their comparison with each other can provide more information in this regard.

Another limitation of this study was that the findings are based on the extraction of students’ ideas using quantitative instruments and specific preplanned questions. Thus, for the achievement of deeper and richer findings, it is recommended that future studies be conducted using qualitative research methods through individual and group interviews.

Acknowledgement
The respected Deputy of Research at Bushehr University of Medical Sciences is hereby thanked and acknowledged for passing this project in the Specialized Council for Medical Research and in the Ethics Committee (dated January 7, 2015, No. 7156). Thanks also go to the nursing and midwifery students who have helped us in this project.