Educating for Social Justice: An Examination of Factors Influencing Nursing Students' Social Justice Advocacy

Abstract

Background: Social justice advocacy (SJA) is central to nursing and involves action on the detrimental social, political, and economic factors that negatively impact health. Urgent calls for nursing engagement in issues of health equity compel members within the discipline to improve upon conceptions of SJA in education and practice. The purpose of this study was to examine student nurses’ beliefs and actions taken for social justice. A secondary purpose was to explore the influence of student nurses’ service learning experiences on their development as social justice advocates. Method: A cross-sectional, descriptive correlational design was used to survey a convenience sample of undergraduate student nurses (N=137) from a Midwestern university. Survey questions focused on the students' perceptions of how educational, professional, and experiential engagement influenced their social justice beliefs. Students' SJA was measured using the Social Issues Advocacy Scale – 2 Short Form. Results: A majority of students (93%) demonstrated strength in the construct of social issue awareness. Conversely, a similar majority (93%) of students indicated limited engagement in political and social advocacy. A significant positive correlation was found between students’ service learning coursework and their SJA, rs(135) = .215, p = .012. A hierarchical regression analysis confirmed the positive influence of service learning on SJA (B = 11.613, β = .273, p = .003). However, there were no significant moderating effects from students’ health care employment or volunteering history. Conclusion: This study highlights the importance of service learning on nursing students’ SJA while also underscoring existent limitations in students’ actions for social justice. Further research is needed to examine which attributes of service learning are associated with students’ growth in SJA and how educators can promote the development of skills for activism.