THE RELATIONSHIP OF AGE TO REFLECTIVE JUDGMENT LEVELS OF TRADITIONALLY AND NONTRADITIONALLY AGED ASSOCIATE DEGREE NURSING STUDENTS AND EMPLOYED REGISTERED NURSES.
Contributors: Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.
Published: 1987
Number of pages: 85
Subjects: Education, Higher.; Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: The problem of this study was to determine whether or not older associate degree nursing students were cognitively different from younger associate degree nursing students. These two groups of students were compared with a group of registered nurses who were matched in age with the older students. The three groups of subjects, i.e., second-year associate degree nursing students, ages 19-22; second-year associate degree nursing students, ages 28-36; and employed registered nurses with associate degree preparation, ages 28-36, were tested using the reflective judgment interview. There were 13 subjects in each group. Differences existed, and implications for instructional strategies for cognitively different students were explored.

The reflective judgment model, developed by Patricia King and Karen Kitchener, shows a seven-stage hierarchy of cognitive development. The model is tested by using a semi-structured interview concerning specified dilemmas. The three dilemmas of history, science, and religion were used in this study.

Reflective judgment scores revealed that the means of the groups were X = 3.5, students 19-22; X = 4.3, students 28-36; and X = 4.2, registered nurses, 28-36. Significant differences between means (F = 7.40, p $<$ =.002) were obtained. Tukey's HSD test for mean differences showed that students 28-36 and registered nurses scored significantly higher (p $<$.05) than students 19-22. Interrater reliability was.917, and agreement was 98%. Consistency measures of the reflective judgment scores revealed item-total correlations of.43 to.66 and interdilemma correlations of.31 to.61.

The following conclusions were reached: (1) younger students were cognitively different from the older students and registered nurses and (2) age and education in combination were influences on the higher scores of the older students and registered nurses.

Recommendations focused on instructional strategies possible for groups of associate degree nursing students of different ages and cognitive stages.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 48-05, Section: A, page: 1126.

Thesis (PH.D.)--SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY AT CARBONDALE, 1987.

School code: 0209.