BELIEFS, ATTITUDES, AND INTENTIONS OF NURSING STUDENTS TOWARD THE ELDERLY: THE INFLUENCE OF A CURRICULUM (HOME).
Contributors: Indiana University.
Published: 1984
Number of pages: 283
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: Despite a rapidly increasing need for qualified nurses who will choose to practice nursing in a nursing home setting, information on how to effectively structure curriculi is inconclusive. A curricular unit was developed and evaluated for its impact upon students' attitudes toward the elderly, intentions to work in a nursing home, and beliefs about the elderly and clinical practice in a nursing home. Subjects were 50 baccalaureate nursing students enrolled in an independent, medium-sized university in southern Indiana, who volunteered to participate in the research. Data was obtained prior to the curriculum, at the conclusion of the curriculum and two months later. Kogan's Old People Scale was utilized to measure change in attitudes. Instruments were designed to collect data on intentions and possible correlating variables. A Free Response questionnaire was designed to collect qualitative data on beliefs. Case studies were used to supplement other data. Results showed that although students' attitudes became more positive at the conclusion of the curriculum, there was a decay to pretest levels two months later. Negative items on the attitude scale accounted for the major portion of the decay. Clinical site seemed to influence attitudes. The elderly were the least preferred patient group; and students did not intend to work in nursing homes, nor in areas which are primarily for the elderly. Students' beliefs about elderly in nursing homes were more negative than for other groups of elderly. Students became less negative about nursing practice in a nursing home. Future studies should focus on analysis of belief systems, attitudes toward the sick old, and the behavior of working in a nursing home, as well as the relationship of the length and setting of the curriculum to attitudes.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 45-09, Section: B, page: 2871.

Thesis (ED.D.)--INDIANA UNIVERSITY, 1984.

School code: 0093.