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. 2024 Jun 3;23(1):372.
doi: 10.1186/s12912-024-02045-1.

Employing a serious game intervention to promote adolescent school children's perceptions of nursing and midwifery professions

Gary Mitchell  1 , Debbie Rainey  2 , Maria Healy  2 , Tara Anderson  2 , Patrick Stark  2 , Felicity Agwu Kalu  2 , Catherine Monaghan  2 , Mark A Linden  2
Affiliations

Employing a serious game intervention to promote adolescent school children's perceptions of nursing and midwifery professions

Gary Mitchell et al. BMC Nurs. .

Abstract

Aim: To test a serious game intervention about nursing and midwifery perceptions among adolescent school children.

Background: Nursing and midwifery professions face challenges in recruitment, with persistent gender stereotypes and a lack of clarity regarding the roles contributing to this issue. This study addresses the need for innovative approaches to reshape perceptions and encourage career exploration in adolescent school children.

Design: Employing a pre/post-test design, this study involved 137 post-primary students aged sixteen or seventeen in the United Kingdom.

Methods: Data collection occurred between November 2022 to April 2023, involving three post-primary schools. Participants engaged with a digital serious game designed to address misconceptions and promote a more accurate understanding of nursing and midwifery. Participants completed pre- and post-intervention questionnaires, including an adapted version of the Nursing as a Career Choice Questionnaire. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, paired t-tests, and independent groups t-tests.

Results: The serious game intervention resulted in statistically significant improvements in students' perceptions across multiple domains. Overall, participants showed higher mean post-test scores (M = 139.57, SD = 15.10) compared to their mean pre-test score (M = 131.06, SD = 14.73) on the questionnaire. The domains of self-efficacy (p < .001), job prospects (p < .001) and social influences (p < .001) exhibited the most substantial positive changes. Female participants showed higher perceptions than males in pre- and post-tests and students from all-girls schools consistently scored higher than those from all-boys and mixed-gender schools.

Conclusions: A serious game about the nursing and midwifery professions appears to be capable of changing perceptions of self-efficacy and job prospects related to nursing and midwifery professions. The study suggests that a serious game intervention may have the potential to change adolescent perceptions of nursing and midwifery professions which may lead to their considering of these when making future career choices.

Keywords: Acceptability testing; Career; Education; Intervention; Midwifery; Nursing; Post-primary schools; Serious game.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

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References

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