Not All Digital Innovation Is Equal
Instructional Alignment Differentiates Motivation and Instructional Expectations in Undergraduate Nursing Education
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22046317 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Raúl Quintana-Alonso (0000-0002-6746-6134, Pontifical University of Salamanca, corresponding author), Lucía Carton Erlandsson (Pontifical University of Salamanca), Alberto Melián Ortiz (0000-0003-3374-5802, Pontifical University of Salamanca), Elena Chamorro-Rebollo (0000-0001-8515-5471, Pontifical University of Salamanca) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 16 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 627 |
| Publication date | 2026-04-15 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Education Sciences (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2227-7102 • E-ISSN: 2227-7102 |
| Publisher | MDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT) |
| DOI | 10.3390/educsci16040627 |
| OpenAlex | W7154496072 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 22 |
Social media environments and meme-based communication are increasingly incorporated into nursing education, yet it remains unclear whether students respond uniformly to digitally embedded instructional strategies. This study examined whether alignment between meme-based instruction and perceived social media learning utility differentiates motivation, perceived academic impact, and demand for educator presence among undergraduate nursing students. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 458 nursing students from Spanish universities who completed a structured questionnaire assessing perceptions of meme-based instruction, social media learning utility, motivation, perceived academic impact, and expectations of educator presence. Hierarchical regression models examined interaction effects, quadrant comparisons were analysed using Kruskal–Wallis tests, and a sequential mediation model evaluated indirect pathways. Students reported high endorsement of meme-based instruction (M = 4.44, SD = 0.80) and social media learning utility (M = 4.15, SD = 0.80). However, substantial divergence emerged across alignment profiles. Students showing high alignment between meme endorsement and perceived social media utility tended to report higher motivation and different expectations of educator presence, whereas perceived academic impact was primarily explained by additive effects. These findings suggest that digital instructional innovations may not generate entirely homogeneous responses across students and that alignment between instructional format and perceived learning utility is associated with differences in motivational activation and instructional expectations in undergraduate nursing education
Educational technology · Higher education · Homogeneous · Mediation · Moderated mediation · Nurse education · Perception · Social media · Technology integration · Communication in Education and Healthcare · Impact of Technology on Adolescents · Social Media in Health Education
Technology-enhanced learning and teaching in higher education
Usability of Memes and Humorous Resources in Virtual Learning Environments
Social Media in Nursing Education
Student‐generated memes as a way to facilitate online discussion for adult learners
Social media and education
Social Media as a Tool to Increase the Impact of Public Health Research
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |