Autoeficácia e desempenho acadêmico: um estudo longitudinal com estudantes de Enfermagem no ensino superior

Abstract

Objective: To assess the current state of self-efficacy indices among first-year nursing students in an undergraduate nursing program and the longitudinal evolution of efficacies over a 3-year period. Method: A descriptive, non-randomized, uncontrolled, paired longitudinal, prospective, and quantitative study was conducted with 40 first-year students from an undergraduate nursing program, selected by convenience sampling, over 18 years old, who agreed to participate in the study. Participants were reassessed in the following 2 consecutive years. Data were collected through an electronic form (Google Forms) containing the Informed Consent Form (ICF), a Sociodemographic and Professional Variables Questionnaire (SPVQ) developed by the researchers, and the Self-Efficacy Scale in Higher Education (SEHE), validated for the Portuguese language, composed of 34 items in a Likert format from 1 to 10, divided into 5 dimensions. The questionnaires were sent by email at the time of enrollment in the first year and in subsequent re-enrollments. Exploratory analysis included descriptive statistics and normality tests. Repeated measures ANOVA analyses were performed, verifying the assumptions of normality and sphericity, with corrections when necessary, in addition to post-hoc tests and calculation of effect sizes for significant variables. Results: Participants showed high self-efficacy scores in all dimensions at the beginning of the program, with means ranging from 8.66 to 9.34. There was a tendency for the means to decrease over the years, with statistically significant differences in the dimensions of Academic Self-Efficacy (p=0.0016), Self-Efficacy in Training Regulation (p=0.004456), SelfEfficacy in Proactive Actions (p=0.01234), and Self-Efficacy in Academic Management (p=0.01234). Post-hoc tests indicated significant differences mainly between the beginning of the program and the other years. The analysis of individual trajectories showed variability in the patterns of score changes, with the most frequent pattern being a drop in scores from the starting year to the subsequent year and a subsequent increase in year 3. Students over 20 years old, who had completed high school more than 6 years ago, and who had already attended another higher education program showed significantly higher scores in some dimensions of self-efficacy. Conclusion: The assessed first-year nursing students predominantly showed high levels of self-efficacy, but with a tendency to decrease throughout the program. The results highlight the importance of monitoring students' self-efficacy and implementing strategies to strengthen it, aiming to promote motivation, academic performance, and well-being of future nurses. The study contributes to the understanding of self-efficacy in nursing students, providing subsidies for the development of early interventions for prevention and promotion of mental health in this population, with potential positive impact on professional training and performance. The results add advances in the context of mental health of nursing students, stimulating reflections and institutional actions aimed at their well-being and academic success.