LOCUS OF CONTROL, FIELD INDEPENDENCE/DEPENDENCE, AND LEARNING ACTIVITY PREFERENCES OF REGISTERED NURSES IN CRITICAL CARE AREAS.
Contributors: University of Texas at Austin.
Published: 1984
Number of pages: 162
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: This study was designed to investigate the relationships among locus of control, field independence/dependence, and learning activity preferences of registered nurses in critical care units. Critical care nurses use varying methods of obtaining information about the area in which they work. The changes in technology and complexity of patient care in these areas dictate that the nurse must constantly learn to keep up with the demands of critical care nursing.

Three investigative instruments and a demographic questonnaire were used to obtain the data. Locus of control was assessed through use of Levenson's multidimensional I, P, and C Scales. Field independence/dependence was measured by administration of the Group Embedded Figures Test. The Learning Activity Preference Index developed by the investigator was used to assess preferences for differing learning activities. This tool was pilot tested prior to its use.

Data were obtained from fifty-eight critical care nurses in a South Texas city. The nurses ranged in age from twenty-two to fifty-five years, with a mean age of thirty-three (33.948). Forty-nine women and nine men composed the sample. Most of the nurses had worked in critical care less than five years.

Four learning activity preferences were significantly related to field independence: asking questions (r = .41, p = .0018), use of audiovisual aids in the classroom (r = .256, p = .0491), structured group discussion (r = .267, p = .0423), and informal group discussion (r = .288, p = .0264), using Spearman's Rho rank correlation procedure. Reading professional journals (r = .366, p = .0049) was significantly related to internal locus of control on the I, P, C Scales. Attending monthly professional meetings (r = .292, p = .0245) was significantly related to the chance scale on the I, P, and C Scales. The hypotheses regarding relationships between learning activity preferences and locus of control, and learning activity preferences and field independence/dependence were accepted.

The most preferred lerning activities of the nurses in this sample were: workshops (seminars and symposia), asking questions, skill practice, lectures, professional journals, internship/preceptorship programs, and observation of more experienced nurses. Use of audiovisuals independently or in the classroom, programmed instruction, self-paced learning modules, group discussions, and monthly professional meetings were preferred least.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 45-07, Section: B, page: 2103.

Thesis (PH.D.)--THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN, 1984.

School code: 0227.