author(s)
Nehal Rami, Hiral Shah and Sujata Parikh

abstract
A descriptive survey was conducted to assess staff nurses’ perceptions regarding the benefits and barriers of pursuing higher education. The global COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the importance of advanced knowledge, acquisition of new skills, and professional advancement in nursing practice, thereby influencing nurses’ attitudes toward continuing education. Understanding how staff nurses perceive and manage these challenges is essential for strengthening nursing education and workforce development. The objectives of the study were: (1) to assess the perception regarding the benefits of higher education among staff nurses working in selected government hospitals of Gujarat State; (2) to assess the perception regarding the barriers of higher education among staff nurses working in selected government hospitals of Gujarat State; (3) to determine the association between perception of benefits and selected demographic variables; and (4) to determine the association between perception of barriers and selected demographic variables. A descriptive survey approach was adopted. Six government hospitals were selected using a lottery method, and 300 staff nurses were chosen through simple random sampling. Data were collected using a self-designed five-point Likert attitude scale comprising three sections: demographic variables, perception toward benefits, and perception toward barriers of higher education. The benefits and barriers sections included 20 items each, with equal numbers of positive and negative statements. Responses ranged from strongly agree to strongly disagree, with scores categorized as positive (61-100) or negative (20-60). Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis. The findings revealed that 52.06% of staff nurses demonstrated a positive perception toward the benefits of higher education, while 48.34% showed a negative perception. In contrast, 46.21% had a positive perception and 54.34% had a negative perception regarding barriers to higher education. Chi-square analysis indicated a statistically significant association between perceptions of both benefits and barriers and selected demographic variables, including age, religion, years of experience, and educational qualification.