ATTITUDE CHANGE TOWARDS FACULTY CAREERS DURING THE SOCIALIZATION EXPERIENCE IN NURSING DOCTORAL PROGRAMS.
Contributors: University of Washington.
Published: 1988
Number of pages: 238
Subjects: Education, Administration.; Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: As a relatively new doctoral discipline, nursing appears to be following the research focus of other disciplines in its doctoral programs. One original intent of offering doctoral degrees in nursing was to prepare faculty. Using the adult socialization theory developed by Brim, this study sought to determine attitudes changes toward faculty careers developed during the socialization process of doctoral education in nursing.

A mail questionnaire was developed to elicit participant responses concerning career goals, the learning environment of the doctoral program, and the respondents' perceptions about the faculty role. A cross-sectional study design was used to compare newly enrolled doctoral students with those who had been enrolled for more than one year. Data gathered from 785 respondents were analyzed to determine significant differences between the two defined groups.

The results disclosed that career goals of doctoral students in nursing do change over time. Students become less interested in teaching, especially teaching undergraduates or teaching in nondoctoral schools of nursing, and more interested in positions involving research and consulting. Students in the more experienced group view the learning environment of the doctoral program as less supportive than does the first year group. Finally, both groups' expectations for faculty role activities vary from reported nursing faculty workloads.

It is recommended that individual nursing doctoral programs consider the effects of the learning climate at their schools on students and their career goals. Doctoral programs should be able to prepare students who choose careers in either doctoral and nondoctoral settings.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 49-09, Section: A, page: 2491.

Thesis (PH.D.)--UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON, 1988.

School code: 0250.