REGISTERED NURSES' NONPARTICIPATION IN CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION: AN INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH (NURSES).
Contributors: Pennsylvania State University.
Published: 1991
Number of pages: 181
Subjects: Education, Adult and Continuing.; Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of a multiplicity of variables posited to contribute to nonparticipation in sponsored continuing professional education programs by registered nurses employed by state government who were provided with funds and paid educational leave days from work to participate. The interdisciplinary, sequential-specificity, time-allocation, life-span (ISSTAL) model served as the theoretical framework upon which this study was structured. This model is comprised of six classes of independent variables arranged according to their hypothesized relevance to nonparticipation in sponsored continuing professional education (CPE): external environmental, social background, personality characteristics, attitudinal dispositions, retained information, and situational factors.

Corresponding to those classes posited by the ISSTAL model were the following instruments: the Oddi Continuing Learning Inventory (OCLI), the Adult Attitude Adult Continuing Education Scale (AACES), the Deterrent to Participation Scale (DPS), the Participation Reasons Scale (PRS), and a brief instrument to obtain social demographic data.

Randomly selected registered nurses (n = 403) completed a mail survey. An 81.4% response rate was achieved. The resultant data were subjected to logistic regression analysis. To provide a broader range of comparison between nonparticipation and participation, the level of significance selected for this study was p $<$.25.

Independent variables examined that were found to be significantly related (p $<$.25) to the dependent variable of nonparticipation in sponsored CPE were: proximity of CPE programs, level of formal educational attainment, years of state service, age, type of position held, professional organization memberships, commitment to learning, enjoyment of learning, importance of adult education, intrinsic value of adult education, disengagement, lack of quality, family constraints, costs, lack of benefits, work constraints, increase in competence and proficiency, attainment of personal advantages, expanding professional relationships.

The independent variables examined that were found to have no significant relationship with the dependent variable of nonparticipation in sponsored CPE were: facility type, years of professional nursing experience, marital status, dependents under the age of 18 years, responsibility for an elderly or infirmed individual, contribution to household income other than the respondent, preferred work location, proactive drive, cognitive openness, and enhancement of professional role.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 52-07, Section: A, page: 2370.

Thesis (D.ED.)--THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY, 1991.

School code: 0176.