CLINICAL DECISION-MAKING AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO LEARNING STYLE AND PERSONALITY TYPE.
Contributors: University of Maryland, College Park.
Published: 1986
Number of pages: 177
Subjects: Education, Higher.; Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: This study was designed to investigate nursing students' perceptions about their own clinical decision making and its relationship to learning style, personality type and the demographic characteristics, age, sex, education, college career choice and nursing work experience.

The subjects were 153 senior, generic baccalaureate nursing students (143 females and 10 males) enrolled in a large, state-supported university. Students were in the final three weeks of the senior year and completed three instruments and a demographic data form. Instruments used were: the Jenkins Clinical Decision Making in Nursing Scale (CDMNS), Kolb Learning Style Inventory (LSI, 1985), and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI).

Data were analyzed using Pearson Product-moment Correlation to determine if there was a significant relationship between the CDMNS total scores and Learning Style Inventory scores; CDMNS scores and MBTI preference continuous scores; a CDMNS scores and age, sex, and first college career choice. A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used with CDMNS total scores by highest college degree and by nursing work experience.

A step-wise multiple regression was used to determine the predictive relationship between CDMNS total scores and the 4 MBTI preferences scores and 4 LSI Learning modes. Only the Extravert/Introvert scale score was a significant predictor.

Findings showed no relationship between students' perceptions of their own clinical decision making and learning style, age, sex, education or work experience. A weak relationship was found between the Sensing/Intuitive scale of the MBTI and students' perceptions of their own clinical decision making (p < 0.5) and an inverse relationship between the Extravert/Introvert scale and students' perceptions of their own clinical decision making (p < .01). Subjects were represented in all categories of the LSI and slightly more were abstract than concrete, and reflective observers than active experimenters. MBTI types showed more Extraverts, Sensors, Feelers and Judgers.

Recommendations were made to conduct further studies using the CDMNS to determine construct validity. Other suggestions for research included verbal protocol analysis to determine student perceptions of their own clinical decision making.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 48-01, Section: A, page: 0060.

Thesis (PH.D.)--UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND COLLEGE PARK, 1986.

School code: 0117.