BEYOND DIGITAL LITERACY: HOW BS NURSING STUDENTS IN PAKISTAN VIEW THE INTEGRATION OF STEM INTO THEIR EDUCATION

STEM INTEGRATION IN BS NURSING EDUCATION

Abstract

Background: Contemporary nursing practice draws heavily on scientific knowledge, digital competence, data-informed decision-making, simulation, and clinical innovation. Embedding Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) within nursing education may build scientific reasoning, technological competence, problem-solving ability, and capacity for innovation. Because these are new curricular directions, understanding how students themselves view STEM integration is a necessary first step toward developing approaches suited to the Pakistani context. Objective: To examine BS Nursing students' perceptions of STEM integration in their education, including the benefits and barriers they perceive, and to determine whether perceptions vary by academic year and by prior exposure to STEM-related learning. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted among 240 BS Nursing students enrolled in Years 1-4 at a Pakistani university. A 25-item, five-point Likert-scale questionnaire measured the perceived relevance of STEM, its educational benefits, students' confidence and readiness, and perceived barriers. Data were summarised using descriptive statistics and examined using Cronbach's alpha, an independent-samples t-test, one-way ANOVA, and Pearson correlation, with statistical significance set at p < .05. Results: Participants had a mean age of 21.3 ± 1.7 years, and 68.3% were female. The overall perception score was 3.91 ± 0.52, reflecting generally favourable attitudes. STEM was valued most for its contribution to healthcare technology use (4.18 ± 0.67), clinical problem-solving (4.15 ± 0.71), and evidence-based practice (4.12 ± 0.69). The most frequently reported barriers were limited technological resources (72.9%), inadequate faculty training (68.8%), and increased curriculum workload (64.6%). Students with prior STEM exposure scored significantly higher than those without (4.04 ± 0.47 vs. 3.82 ± 0.54; p = .001), and scores rose significantly across academic years (p = .009). Conclusion: BS Nursing students in this sample were broadly supportive of STEM integration. Embedding STEM content within existing courses, backed by faculty development, simulation-based learning, interdisciplinary teaching, and institutional resources, may support its implementation in Pakistani nursing education.