Legal Literacy Among Nursing Students in the Philippines: The Roles of Legal Education Exposure, Perceived Importance, and Confidence in Legal Application

Cyruz P. Tuppal; Mandy Roie A Atendido; Ana Blesilda C Atendido; Leah Kalayaan A. Pellacœur; August I. Manzon; Anna Mae G. Rivera; Karen P. Pascua; Arif Adi Setiawan; Bradley K. Loo; Ma. Mercedes Gaerlan Loo; Shanine Mae P. Tuppal; Jennifer Joy R. Olivar; Mary Jane O. Cañon

doi:10.14710/nmjn.v14i3.73465

DOI: https://doi.org/10.14710/nmjn.v14i3.73465

Legal Literacy Among Nursing Students in the Philippines: The Roles of Legal Education Exposure, Perceived Importance, and Confidence in Legal Application

*Cyruz P. Tuppal

- College of Allied Health, Nursing Program, National University, Philippines

Mandy Roie A Atendido

- Nursing Program, Ilocos Sur Polytechnic College, Philippines

Ana Blesilda C Atendido

- Nursing Program, Ilocos Sur Polytechnic College, Philippines

Leah Kalayaan A. Pellacœur

- College of Allied Health, Department of Nursing, National University Philippines, Philippines

August I. Manzon

- College of Nursing, National University, Philippines

Anna Mae G. Rivera

- College of Nursing, Arellano University, Philippines

Karen P. Pascua

- College of Health and Allied Studies, St. Dominic College of Asia, Philippines

Arif Adi Setiawan

- School of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universitas Muhammadiyah PKU Surakarta, Indonesia

Bradley K. Loo

- Division Office of San Juan, Department of Education, Philippines

Ma. Mercedes Gaerlan Loo

- College of Nursing, Centro Escolar University, Philippines

Shanine Mae P. Tuppal

- Nursing Service Office, National Kidney and Transplant Institute, Philippines

Jennifer Joy R. Olivar

- College of Health Allied Sciences, St. Paul University Manila, Philippines

Mary Jane O. Cañon

- College of Nursing, St. John Colleges, Philippines

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

BibTex Citation Data :

@article{NMJN73465,
    author = {Cyruz Tuppal and Mandy Roie Atendido and Ana Blesilda Atendido and Leah Kalayaan Pellacœur and August Manzon and Anna Mae Rivera and Karen Pascua and Arif Adi Setiawan and Bradley Loo and Ma. Mercedes Gaerlan Loo and Shanine Mae Tuppal and Jennifer Joy Olivar and Mary Jane Cañon},
    title = {Legal Literacy Among Nursing Students in the Philippines: The Roles of Legal Education Exposure, Perceived Importance, and Confidence in Legal Application},
    journal = {Nurse Media Journal of Nursing},
  volume = {15},
    number = {3},
    year = {2025},
    keywords = {Legal literacy; nursing students; PLS-SEM; confidence; perceived importance},
    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. },
   issn = {2406-8799},  doi = {10.14710/nmjn.v14i3.73465},
    url = {https://ejournal.undip.ac.id/index.php/medianers/article/view/73465}
}

Citation Format:

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.

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Keywords: Legal literacy; nursing students; PLS-SEM; confidence; perceived importance

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Legal Literacy Among Nursing Students in the Philippines: The Roles of Legal Education Exposure, Perceived Importance, and Confidence in Legal Application

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