MOTIVATIONAL FACTORS FOR NURSES ATTENDING CONTINUING EDUCATION COURSES IN THE PREVENTION OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE.
Contributors: Walden University.
Published: 1996
Number of pages: 134
Subjects: Education, Adult and Continuing.; Health Sciences, Nursing.; Health Sciences, Education.
Description: Nurses are currently being drawn to continuing education programs on the prevention of substance abuse but little is known about what motivates them to attend these learning experiences. It appears that prevention training is capturing the imagination and work ethics of nurses as an area worthy of theory building, education, and practice. This study seeks to identify ethnic, age, and gender differences on six major motivational factors: professional affiliation, professional knowledge, compliance with authority, professional diversion, professional advancement and professional accountability for nurses to attend continuing education courses in the prevention of substance abuse.

This study employed a survey research model to determine and analyze these factors. The key statistically significant finding was in relation to the question of ethnicity and the perceived motivational need of Native American nurses toward the professional diversion variable. The data suggest the need to attend continuing education training as a diversion to their daily work was seen as a major motivational factor. The data show that there was no statistically significant difference in the six motivational factors in relation to the respondents' gender and age classification. However, further examination of the data on age differences suggests that the respondents 26 to 35 years old and 55 and over also saw the professional diversion variable as a key factor in their attending continuing education in the prevention of substance abuse. As noted, those particular data were not statistically significant when analyzed utilizing a post-hoc test.

These findings will be valuable for designers and developers of continuing education programs for nurses, especially in relation to various alternative ways to market, develop and implement continuing education programs. The study may provide data for the prevention field by providing a research base for helping to understand the differences in motivational factors of nurses which can then be integrated into future training designs, for nurses and other allied health professionals. In addition, implications for the study of nursing continuing education, practice, and research are discussed.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 57-06, Section: A, page: 2324.

Thesis (PH.D.)--WALDEN UNIVERSITY, 1996.

School code: 0543.