THE IMPACT OF CONGRUENT-DISSONANT RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE NON-TRADITIONAL NURSING STUDENT AND THE ENVIRONMENT OF AN INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION ON THE NON-TRADITIONAL NURSING STUDENT'S SENSE OF MATTERING (NONTRADITIONAL STUDENTS).
Contributors: Columbia University. Teachers College.
Published: 1994
Number of pages: 191
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.; Health Sciences, Education.; Education, Educational Psychology.
Description: Nursing education faces a challenge with respect to dramatically changing student populations. Reflective of all higher education, there is an increase of non-traditional students whose expectations, experiences and needs are different than previous traditional student populations.

This research addressed the influence of the environment on non-traditional nursing students. This is referred to in the literature as Environmental Press. Previous studies regarding the impact of the environment upon traditional students, indicated that the degree of congruence between students and the environment of an institution, is related to satisfaction and success for the students.

One way to determine environmental impact is to ascertain congruence between goals of students and faculty/administrators. Are the goals of non-traditional students and the institution congruent and how does this impact upon a student's sense of mattering?.

The population studied consisted of students, faculty, and administrators at an urban public college of nursing. Student population data were limited to non-traditional students. Non-traditional students are identified in the literature as persons over the age of 23, Black, Asian, Hispanic and Women. Men were included in this study as in nursing they are considered minority, as well as a growing population. There were 115 students in the study, 64 junior students in the program 6 months and 52 senior students in the program 18 months. There were 20 faculty and administrators included in this study.

The Institutional Goals Inventory (developed by Educational Testing Service, Princeton, N.J.) was used to determine congruence between the goals of the institution and the student. The Mattering Scales (developed by Drs. Schlossberg, LaSalle, and Golec) were used to determine how students perceive they matter. An ANOVA F test and the Pearson r were used for data evaluation. There was a significant correlation using Pearson r between the IGI and the Mattering Scales, particularly in the Faculty subscale area of the Mattering Scales; there was significant congruence of goals between faculty/administrators and students throughout the institutional goals inventory. The areas of Race and Gender did not indicate significant dissonance between groups.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 55-11, Section: B, page: 4787.

Thesis (ED.D.)--COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY TEACHERS COLLEGE, 1994.

School code: 0055.