Effects of the Sports Activities of Female Nursing Students on their Problem-Solving Skills and Academic Achievement

Background: Participation in sports are known to have many benefits for the students. It has been correlated with positive developmental indicators, including improved self-esteem, self confidence, cognitive development, social development, goal attainment, problem-solving and academic performance. Objective: The study aims to identify the effects of sports on the student female nurses’ problem-solving skills and academic achievement. Methodology The study was designed and carried out as a descriptive and cross-sectional investigation. A total of 363 nursing students who volunteered to take part in the study at a Nursing School in Turkey participated. The data were collected through the use of a data collection form and the problem solving inventory. Independent samples t-test were used to describe and compare the mean scores of the students who do and students who don’t do sports. Results: The mean age of the participants was 20.5±1.23 years. Regarding participation in sports, 14.3% of the participants formerly dealt with sports, while 32.0% currently participate in sports. The general academic mean scores of the students who are doing and not doing sports were 81.17±5.10 and 80.66±5.77, respectively. However, this difference was not statistically significant (p>0.05). The mean scores of the students who do and do not do sports had significantly differences at four dimensions of the problem solving inventory: “evaluative” (p<0.05), “planned” (p<0.05), “considering” (p<0.01), and “self-confident” (p<0.05). Conclusion: This study found that students practice the following approaches toward the problem-solving process: considering, evaluation, self-confidence and planning. Well-developed problem-solving skills are significant for school nurses for efficient and high-quality health care services.