STUDY OF ARTICULATION IN NURSING EDUCATION ASSOCIATE TO BACCALAUREATE DEGREE (ASSOCIATE DEGREE).
Contributors: University of Iowa.
Published: 1991
Number of pages: 146
Subjects: Education, Community College.; Health Sciences, Nursing.; Education, Higher.
Description: This study examines the articulation practices in nursing education from the associate degree program's perspective. More registered nurses graduate from associate degree nursing programs than any other type, and increasingly, more associate degree registered nurses are returning to school to seek the baccalaureate degree.

The four research questions examine: (1) the extent to which associate degree programs have participated with baccalaureate programs in the adoption of written articulation agreements, (2) factors which influenced the development of articulation agreements, (3) provisions of the agreement, and (4) attitudes of the administrators regarding the future of associate to baccalaureate degree articulation.

A questionnaire, "Articulation in Nursing Education-Associate to Baccalaureate Degree," was sent to the administrator of each of the associate degree nursing programs located in the United States. The questionnaire sought information on current practices and future trends in nursing articulation from the perspective of the sending institution. The data represent an 85.8 percent usable response rate, with 661 respondents from throughout the United States.

Frequency tables and percentages were used to portray the occurrence and components of articulation agreements. Forty percent of the respondents indicated the presence of a written articulation agreement with a baccalaureate program, with the primary influential factor being the need to provide greater alternatives for nursing education. Direct transfer of support courses occurs in nearly all programs with no validation process required. However, in order to provide for the direct transfer of nursing credits, validation is a requirement for over three fourths of those programs with written articulation agreements.

T-tests and ANOVAs were used to analyze the attitudes of administrators toward articulation based upon the presence or absence of a written articulation agreement, NLN accreditation, and type of institution in which the ADN program was located. More similarities than differences were found among the administrators, with strong support that written articulation agreements will be forthcoming. Increased numbers of nurses will pursue their education using the associate to baccalaureate degree route as increased options are made available to them by baccalaureate programs.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 53-01, Section: A, page: 0050.

Thesis (PH.D.)--THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA, 1991.

School code: 0096.