RELATIONSHIPS AMONG THE ORGANIZATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF BACCALAUREATE SCHOOLS OF NURSING AND THE STUDENT-PERCEIVED ORGANIZATIONAL CLIMATE FOR CARING.
Contributors: University of Texas at Austin.
Published: 1993
Number of pages: 558
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.; Education, Higher.
Description: The purpose of this study was to describe the relationships among characteristics of baccalaureate schools of nursing and the student-perceived organizational climate for caring. This concept was measured using the Organizational Climate for Caring Questionnaire (OCCQ) which is an investigator developed instrument consisting of four subscales that correspond with Noddings' (1984, 1988) conceptualization of a moral education. The OCCQ includes items describing caring faculty behaviors (Modeling), episodes in which teachers and students share ideas or opinions (Dialogue), teachers' ability to facilitate students to enact the nursing role as caring (Practice), and teachers' ability to affirm the worth and future potential of students (Confirmation/Affirmation).

OCCQ scores from 365 junior students were aggregated by school to yield measurement of the organizational climate for caring at 73 baccalaureate schools of nursing. Overall, the organizational climate was described as caring at these schools. However, endorsement of most OCCQ items at the majority of schools was limited to the "slightly agree" option. Modeling items most strongly endorsed described behaviors focused on the teaching role while behaviors reflecting teachers' way of being were less strongly endorsed. Practice items most strongly endorsed described teachers' ability to enable students to care for patients while those describing teacher-student relationships in the clinical setting were less strongly endorsed. Only one item each from the Dialogue and Confirmation/Affirmation subscales received strong endorsement at the majority of schools.

OCCQ scores were regressed on the following characteristics of the schools: total enrollment, percentage of full-time basic and graduate students, clinical group size, tuition, number of programs offered, parent institution type, and parent institution admission competitiveness. The findings suggest that the organizational climate was described as most caring at schools that have limited graduate emphasis, a high percentage of full-time basic students, and are affiliated with liberal arts colleges or a parent institution with competitive admission requirements. Most of the school characteristics associated with the student-perceived organizational climate for caring also were associated with parent institution type and/or school of nursing size.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 55-01, Section: B, page: 0078.

Thesis (PH.D.)--THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN, 1993.

School code: 0227.