ORIGINAL RESEARCH Educational support for research utilization and capability beliefs regarding evidence-based practice skills: a national survey of senior nursing students Jan Florin, Anna Ehrenberg, Lars Wallin & Petter Gustavsson Accepted for publication 18 June 2011 Correspondence to J. Florin: e-mail: jfl@du.se Jan Florin PhD RN Assistant Professor School of Health and Social Studies, Dalarna University, Falun, Sweden Lars Wallin PhD RN Research Leader Clinical Research Utilization, Karolinska University Hospital, and Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden Anna Ehrenberg PhD RN Professor School of Health and Social Studies, Dalarna University, Falun, Sweden Petter Gustavsson BSc PhD Professor Division of Psychology, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden FLORIN J., EHRENBERG A., WALLIN L. & GUSTAVSSON P. (2012) FLORIN J., EHRENBERG A., WALLIN L. & GUSTAVSSON P. (2012) Educational support for research utilization and capability beliefs regarding evidence-based practice skills: a national survey of senior nursing students. Journal of Advanced Nursing 68(4), 888–897. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2648.2011.05792.x Abstract Aim. The aim of the study was to investigate Swedish university nursing students’ experience of educational support for research utilization and capability beliefs regarding evidence-based practice skills. Background. Nursing programmes are offered at 26 universities in Sweden and even though there are common regulations for nursing education at the national level, substantial variations are found in local curricula. Little is known about students’ capability beliefs regarding evidence-based practice skills, particularly in comparison across universities. Methods. A cross-sectional survey design using self-administered postal question- naires was conducted in 2006. A total of 1440 students (from 26 different univer- sities) participated, constituting 68% of the national population of nursing students in their 6th and final semester. Results. Campus education supported the students to a greater extent than clinical education in following the development of knowledge in an area of interest, using research findings, and acquiring knowledge on how to pursue changes in clinical prac- tice. Perceived support during campus education varied between universities. Students reported high capability beliefs regarding evidence-based practice skills, but large differences were found between universities for: stating a searchable question, seeking out relevant knowledge and critically appraising and compiling best knowledge. Conclusion. The identified differences between universities concerning the students’ perceived support for research utilization and their capability beliefs regarding evi- dence-based practice skills have implications for curricula, pedagogical perspectives in nursing education and the potential to implement evidence-based practice in healthcare settings. Further studies are warranted to investigate students’ individual characteris- tics and organizational characteristics as determinants of research utilization support and capability beliefs regarding evidence-based practice skills. Keywords: capability beliefs, evidence-based practice, nursing students, research utilization, survey Ó 2011 The Authors 888 Journal of Advanced Nursing Ó 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd JAN JOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING