MEASURING NURSES' USE OF APPLIED LIBERAL EDUCATION COMPETENCES IN PROFESSIONAL NURSING.
Contributors: University of Michigan.
Published: 1989
Number of pages: 332
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.; Education, Higher.
Description: How can nurses' use of liberal education in professional practice be measured? To what extent do nurses attribute their use of liberal education to previous educational, family, and work experiences? To address these questions, the investigator generated an instrument, the Applied Liberal Education Competences Scale-Nursing (ALECS-Nursing), that measures nurses' use of liberal education in practice. The investigator also ascertained nurses' perceptions of the extent to which selected experiences contributed to their use of applied liberal education competences.

Based on a conceptual model proposed by Stark and Lowther, the study was accomplished in two phases. In Phase One, the ALECS-Nursing was generated and a field test was conducted with 432 baccalaureate-prepared nurses in Michigan and New York. In Phase Two, a second field test was conducted with 121 baccalaureate and nonbaccalaureate-prepared nurses to further validate the instrument.

Construct validity was assessed through factor analysis, inter-index correlations, and comparison of contrasted groups. Criterion-related validity was examined by comparing scores on the ALECS with scores on a previously developed instrument, Schwirian's 6-D Scale. Reliability was assessed using coefficient alpha.

Results support the validity and reliability of the ALECS-Nursing. The instrument measures six applied liberal education competences: leadership, contextual practice, professional development, analytic practice, reflective practice, and aesthetic practice. There were significant differences in scores between groups of nurses aspiring to different educational levels. Nurses aspiring to graduate study, particularly at the doctoral level, scored higher on all indices. Low to moderate correlations were found between scores on the ALECS and the 6-D Scale. All ALECS indices demonstrated high internal consistency, alphas ranged from.74 to.91. Respondents perceived that work and family experiences were most influential on their use of the applied liberal education competences. Liberal arts and science coursework, interactions with faculty, and interactions with student peers were considered least influential.

This study identified a beginning typology of nursing practice and education. The instrument can be used for future research on nurse performance and patient outcomes, career development, and educational program evaluation. It can also be adapted for use in other professions.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 51-01, Section: B, page: 0144.

Thesis (PH.D.)--THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN, 1989.

School code: 0127.