CRITERIA TO PREDICT SUCCESS FOR NURSING ASSISTING STUDENTS (PERSISTENCE, NONPERSISTENCE, EMPLOYMENT).
Contributors: University of South Florida.
Published: 1985
Number of pages: 115
Subjects: Education, Vocational.
Description: Recent Florida legislative mandates concerning placement and productivity have increased the need for improved student selection methods. One purpose of this research was to examine reading achievement levels, age, sex, and race as predictors of success for nursing assisting students at a Pinellas County, Florida, area vocational center.

The clients in this study were 225 students enrolled in the nursing assisting program from February 1981 until August 1984. The students represented the total nursing assisting program enrollment during this period.

Multiple regression was used to analyze the relationship between reading achievement, age, sex, and race and the final grade. There was a R('2) of .15449 of reading achievement to final grade. When age was added, the combined R('2) for reading achievement and age was .20925. Neither sex nor race was significant at the .05 level.

To test the difference in the reading achievement level, age, sex, and race of persisting students compared to nonpersisting students, discriminant analysis was used. Age produced the largest multivariate F ratio between the two groups. Sex also contributed to the differences between the two groups. When reading achievement was entered by the researcher at step one, the F ratio was 3.159080; this F is not significant at the .05 level. Race was not statistically significant as a discriminator between the two groups.

To test the difference in the reading achievement level, age, sex, and race of nonpersisters who withdrew due to grades compared to nonpersisters who withdrew for other reasons, discriminant analysis was used. Reading achievement was the most significant discriminator between these two groups; age also was a significant discriminator. Race and sex were not statistically significant.

To test the differences in the reading achievement level, age, sex, race, and final grade of persisters who accepted related employment compared to the persisters who did not accept related employment, discriminant analysis was used. Reading achievement was the only statistically significant discriminator between the two groups. However, the group employed as nursing assistants was associated with lower reading achievement levels than the group not employed as nursing assistants.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 46-06, Section: A, page: 1609.

Thesis (PH.D.)--UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA, 1985.

School code: 0206.