SELF-DIRECTED CONTINUING LEARNING CHARACTERISTICS AND PERCEPTIONS OF PROFESSIONAL AUTONOMY IN SENIOR BACCALAUREATE NURSING STUDENTS (NURSING STUDENTS).
Contributors: Northern Illinois University.
Published: 1993
Number of pages: 210
Subjects: Education, Adult and Continuing.; Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: This descriptive study explored the relationship between self-directed continuing learning and perceptions of professional autonomy and investigated selected demographic and biographic variables that may be significantly related to one or both of the major variables. The Oddi Continuing Learning Inventory (OCLI), a self-report instrument containing 24 Likert-type items, measured proclivity for self-directed continuing learning. Perceptions of professional autonomy were measured by the Schutzenhofer Nursing Activity Scale (NAS), a 30-item self-report instrument describing nursing situations scaled to represent varying degrees of autonomy. A Student Biographic Survey developed by the investigator for the study was used to collect demographic and biographic data. Seven hypotheses were formulated and investigated.

A nonprobability convenience sample of 135 registered nurse (RN) and generic students from six accredited baccalaureate nursing programs in a large midwestern city comprised the sample. All students were in the final term of their senior year.

The major finding of the study was a statistically significant relationship between self-directed continuing learning and perceptions of professional autonomy, manifested by a positive correlation (r =.39; p = $<$.001) between scores on the OCLI and NAS. These were present for RN (r =.48; p =.001) and generic students (r =.32; p =.001). Significant relationships were also found between age and scores on the OCLI (r =.26; p =.002) and NAS (r =.22; p =.009). The number of years of formal education following high school was significantly related to NAS scores (r =.21; p =.015), but not to scores on the OCLI. Analyses using t-tests revealed that NAS mean scores were significantly higher for RN than generic students (p =.002), but not for scores on the OCLI. No significant differences in OCLI and NAS scores were found in relation to racial/ethnic categories, marital status, or responsibility for dependents.

Additional studies using these instruments with larger samples of baccalaureate drawn from populations with more diversity in geographical and racial/ethnic backgrounds is recommended to compare and contrast the findings of this study and examine reliability.

Longitudinal study of students about to enter practice and after a period of experience using qualitative as well as quantitative methodology is also suggested.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 54-06, Section: A, page: 2024.

Thesis (ED.D.)--NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY, 1993.

School code: 0162.