AUTONOMY IN A SELECTED POPULATION AT TRENTON STATE COLLEGE (PROFESSIONAL SOCIALIZATION, NURSING EDUCATION, NEW JERSEY).
Contributors: Rutgers University.
Published: 1986
Number of pages: 145
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: The purpose of this study was to determine if female nursing students are less autonomous than female students in other traditional female occupations and females in non-traditional occupations. Additionally, the study was to explore whether the nursing student became more or less autonomous as she advanced through a nursing program from entry level through mid-level to exit level.

A three-section questionnaire was used to collect the research data. The demographic section included parent's occupation, and student G.P.A. scores, V.S.A.T./M.S.A.T. scores, and student's school and department. The second part of the questionnaire was a True/False autonomy scale by Kurtines. The third part of the questionnaire was a modified Bem Sex-Role Inventory using a Likert scale.

The population included 1,046 undergraduate, female students in bachelor degree programs at Trenton State College. The sample breakdown was as follows: School of Nursing-366; School of Education-357; School of Business-166; and School of Arts and Sciences-157.

A general overview of the correlational coefficients did not reveal relationships between the variables of parent's occupation, G.P.A., S.A.T. scores with the variable of autonomy. The mean scores for autonomy were lowest for students in the School of Nursing. However the difference between the lower scores for students in the School of Nursing as compared to the second lowest scores obtained for students in the School of Education was not statistically significant. The higher scores found in the School of Business and the School of Arts and Sciences were statistically significant. Supportive of the findings on autonomy were the findings on the masculine/feminine scores. The masculine scores correlated with the autonomy scores. The feminine scores correlated inversely with the autonomy scores. Comparison of autonomy scores for the seniors in the (4) schools revealed that the student in the School of Nursing had the highest means. However, this finding was not statistically significant. Within the School of Nursing, the scores on autonomy increased as the nursing student progressed through the nursing curriculum from freshmen to senior class level. The differences in the higher autonomy scores for seniors as opposed to the lower scores for freshmen was statistically significant. (Abstract shortened with permission of author.).
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 47-11, Section: B, page: 4467.

Thesis (ED.D.)--RUTGERS THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW JERSEY - NEW BRUNSWICK, 1986.

School code: 0190.