PREDICTION OF ATTRITION-RETENTION IN AN URBAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE NURSING PROGRAM.
Contributors: Memphis State University.
Published: 1983
Number of pages: 126
Subjects: Education, Community College.
Description: Purpose. The purpose of this investigation was to determine if a combination of cognitive and noncognitive variables, rather than using only cognitive information, would substantially increase the accuracy of the prediction of success in an associate degree nursing program at an urban community college. Demographic, personality, motivation and attitude variables relevant to successful completion of a nursing program were selected as noncognitive predictor variables. NLN prenursing score was the cognitive variable. The criterion variables used in the study were grades in nursing courses, quality point average in clinical nursing courses, and a categorical variable indicating persistence, nonpersistence, or academic failure.

Procedures. Questionnaires, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, and the Nurse Attitude Test were administered to 104 first-year and 141 second-year nursing students in the 1983 winter quarter. Data analyses included canonical correlation analyses, chi-square analyses, stepwise discriminant analyses, multiple regression, and multivariate analyses of variance. Separate analyses were performed for the two classes.

Findings and Conclusions. The nursing students could be described as nontraditional. Canonical analyses resulted in the extraction of significant variates which identified underlying dimensions reflecting characteristics of successful students and less successful students. Discriminant analysis correctly classified 59.7% of second-year students in persistence categories on the basis of racial ethnic group and academic subject preference. Using only two categories, 74.8% were correctly classified. Noncognitive attitude and personality variables were useful predictors of grades in specific nursing courses. NLN score was a better predictor for high aptitude students than for low aptitude students. There were significant differences in achievement among groups of students based on clinical QPA.

Recommendations. Demographic and biographical data should be maintained for purposes of counseling high-risk students and strengthening retention. Further investigation of the utility of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator in predicting grades in the nursing curriculum is encouraged. Nursing faculty and administrators should be cognizant of the needs and problems of minority nursing students. Followup studies should be conducted to determine the success of these students following graduation.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 45-01, Section: A, page: 0063.

Thesis (ED.D.)--MEMPHIS STATE UNIVERSITY, 1983.

School code: 0124.