The Relationship between Course Experience and Academic Engagement in Medical Students: a descriptive-correlational study

Abstract Background One of the essential activities in improving the quality and effectiveness of teaching is to pay attention to the course experience (CE) and academic engagement (AE) of students in their academic process. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between CE and AE among Iranian nursing students.Methods This is a descriptive-correlational study. The present study was carried out on 124 anesthesia and operating room nursing students who were selected using simple random sampling in the year 2017. The research tools included standard demographic, CE, and AE questionnaires. Data analysis was carried out using descriptive tests, independent t-test, and Pearson correlation in SPSS ver. 24.Results The results of Pearson correlation analysis on the relationship between the subscales of CE, including good teaching, clear goals, appropriate assessment, appropriate workload, independence, and generic skills with AE showed a statistically significant relationship between all remaining subscales, except for the proper workload sub-scale (P=0.234).Conclusions The results of this study showed a significant positive correlation between the CE and AE. Therefore, steps can be taken to improve the quality of the educational system using active and student-centered teaching methods.