Legal Literacy Among Nursing Students in the Philippines: The Roles of Legal Education Exposure, Perceived Importance, and Confidence in Legal Application
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Background: Legal literacy is an essential yet underdeveloped domain in Philippine nursing education. Despite the increasing complexity of healthcare, undergraduate curricula offer limited structured training in legal knowledge and its clinical application, posing potential risks to both practitioners and patients.Purpose: This study aimed to develop and validate a structural model of legal literacy among Filipino nursing students, focusing on the influence of legal education exposure, perceived importance of legal knowledge, and confidence in legal application.Methods: This cross-sectional study employed purposive sampling and involved 300 undergraduate nursing students from multiple institutions. Legal literacy was conceptualized as nurses’ capacity to understand and apply medico-legal principles in clinical decision-making and patient advocacy. Data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings highlight that, beyond statistical relationships, valuing legal knowledge and developing confidence in its application are critical to preparing nursing students for legally sound and safe practice, underscoring important implications for nursing education and curriculum design.Results: All constructs demonstrated high reliability (CR > 0.93) and convergent validity (AVE > 0.76). Legal literacy (LL) was significantly predicted by perceived importance of legal knowledge (β = 0.389, p < .001) and confidence in legal application (β = 0.256, p < .001). Confidence also mediated the relationship between perceived importance and legal literacy (β = 0.057, p = .013). Legal education exposure influenced LL indirectly via perceived importance (β = −0.118, p = .003). The model explained 84.0% of the variance in LL. Model fit indices (SRMR = 0.042; Q² > 0.49) confirmed strong predictive relevance. Moderation by year level was not statistically significant.Conclusion: This study proposes a validated model of legal literacy that underscores the importance of both attitudinal valuation and application confidence. Integrating legal education with experiential learning and self-efficacy can enhance legal readiness among nursing graduates.
Source: Nurse Media Journal of Nursing
Institutions: National University, Ilocos Sur Polytechnic State College, Arellano University, St. Dominic College of Asia, Muhammadiyah University of Surakarta, Universitas Muhammadiyah PKU Surakarta, Department of Education, Centro Escolar University, National Kidney and Transplant Institute, St. Paul University Manila
Language: English
Subfield: Leadership and Management
Field: Nursing
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7124265894