The effects of microlearning on the fertility knowledge and attitude of Iranian nursing students: an interventional...

Despite the fact that fertility awareness is essential for making informed reproductive decisions, fertility training is still ignored in reproductive health guidelines. It is assumed that by improving fertility knowledge among students as important members of health care providers and also people who will experience parenthood soon, involuntary childlessness and the personal and social cost of infertility will decrease. This study aimed to create educational content and also explore how microlearning influences the knowledge and fertility attitudes of both male and female nursing students.

A one-group pre-test and post-test design was employed in this intervention study. Using the convenience sampling method, 90 nursing students in one medical sciences university in Iran were included in different semesters. Educational content related to fertility knowledge was presented in the form of microlearning (motion graphics), and each one was repeated 3 times through Telegram. Before, and immediately after and one month after the completion of the training course, knowledge evaluation was done through the Cardiff questionnaire. Fertility attitude was done only for female students before and immediately after. The Friedman test, generalized estimating equations (GEE), and paired t-test were used to analyze data.

There was a significant difference in the mean fertility knowledge before training (8.4 ± 1.97) and immediately after training (9.95 ± 1.68) (p < 0.001) and in the second measurement after training (9.95 ± 1.68)(p < 0.001). However, no significant difference was observed in the mean fertility knowledge immediately after the training and in the second measurement after the training (p = 0.69), which indicates the persistence of knowledge over time. The findings showed that educational intervention significantly increased the attitude of female students towards fertility(p < 0.05).

The findings of this study confirm the importance and impact of educational interventions on students' fertility knowledge and attitudes, especially through technological methods and with creative and attractive approaches. It is recommended that these interventions be implemented on a large scale in higher education institutions as an effort to improve the fertility knowledge of young people of reproductive age and be criticized and evaluated.