ROLE PERCEPTION, PERSONALITY TYPE, AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN A PRACTICAL NURSING SCHOOL.
Contributors: Howard University.
Published: 1995
Number of pages: 116
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.; Health Sciences, Education.; Psychology, Industrial.; Education, Higher.
Description: A descriptive embedded single case study was conducted to develop a profile of practical nursing students enrolled in one class. In addition, this study examined the impact of information acquired during the Fundamentals of Nursing course on students' role perception. The dependent variable was role perception and the independent variables included (a) academic achievement, (b) health care experience, (c) gender, (d) educational level, and (e) age.

Forty seven (47) students volunteered to participate in this study. Forty-three (43) participants completed all data instruments and were included in the sample. All participants were enrolled in Fundamentals of Nursing, the introductory course for the Licensed Practical Nursing program. Additionally, the group was international and of diverse educational backgrounds.

All participants attended the sixteen week nursing course. Lecture discussion and self-directed instructional methods were implemented to facilitate learning in the classroom. The data were collected by using pretest and posttest instruments: Practical Nursing Students' Role Perception Scale (PNSRPS), the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), the Demographic Data Questionnaire, and six Fundamentals of Nursing examinations.

The PNSRPS, MBTI, and the Demographic Data Questionnaire were administered at the beginning of the semester. After the introductory nursing content had been covered, the PNSRPS was administered again. Kendall Tau Coefficients were computed to examine the relationship between role perception and academic achievement. The difference between pretest and posttest role perception scores was analyzed using the Wilcoxon Matched-Pairs Signed Ranks Test.

A t-Test for Paired Samples was computed to analyze nursing exam mean scores by instructional preferences. Independent Sample Chi-Square Tests were computed to analyze the differences between students' role perception scores as classified by healthcare experience, gender, educational levels, and age groups.

Findings indicated that there was a statistically significant difference between student nurses' mean test scores for the lecture discussion method versus the self-directed method (t = $-$6.36, p =.0001). Although, no other statistically significant relationships or differences were found, the variables provided meaningful insight into developing a profile of the practical nursing student group.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 57-08, Section: B, page: 4974.

Thesis (PH.D.)--HOWARD UNIVERSITY, 1995.

School code: 0088.