INDUCTIVE DEVELOPMENT OF A THEORETICAL MODEL TO PREDICT RETENTION OF PUERTO RICAN STUDENTS ENROLLED IN NURSING EDUCATION PROGRAMS.
Contributors: Widener University School Of Nursing.
Published: 1992
Number of pages: 317
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.; Sociology, Ethnic and Racial Studies.; Health Sciences, Education.
Description: The purposes of this dissertation were to identify factors associated with retention of Puerto Rican nursing students enrolled in collegiate nursing programs and to inductively develop substantive theory explaining and predicting retention of these students. Grounded theory methodology was utilized. No previous research focusing on Puerto Rican nursing students has been reported. However, research and anecdotal literature related to college student retention, minority and Hispanic college student retention, and minority nursing student retention was reviewed. A brief overview of Puerto Rican history and culture was included to provide a cultural context for examination of the research problem.

Data were collected using unstructured interviews. Five comparison groups were included; namely, those who graduated successfully from the first nursing education program attended; those who experienced failure or withdrew but subsequently graduated; those currently enrolled in their first nursing education program; those currently enrolled who had a history of either failing or withdrawing from a nursing education program; and those who failed one or more times and were not enrolled at the time of their interview. A total of 20 informants were interviewed. Data collection continued until the criteria for theoretical sampling were satisfied.

The audiotaped interviews were subjected to constant comparative analysis. A coding paradigm suggested by Strauss and Corbin (1990) was utilized. Faculty-Student Relating emerged as the core category. Antecedent categories related to the experience of being a Puerto Rican nursing student were Committing to the Goal of Becoming a Registered Nurse, Receiving Family Support, Securing Economic Resources, Believing One Will Graduate, and Communicating Proficiently in English. Intervening conditions related to retention were Choosing an Academic Institution, Faculty-Student Relating, and Being a Parent. Action/interaction strategies were Managing Student Life, Persisting, Handling Failure, and Responding to Perceived Ethnic Discrimination.

The interrelationships among the categories were depicted using integrative diagrams. Their synergistic effects on retention were discussed. Puerto Rican nursing students minimally possessing the antecedents of enrollment were particularly vulnerable to attrition early in their program. Faculty were viewed as having the potential to assess the student's risk for attrition and to intervene by interrupting strategies typically used by unsuccessful students.

The grounded theory of student retention was discussed in relation to the literature review and symbolic interactionism. Implications of the dissertation for nursing education were presented. Suggestions for future nursing research related to the dissertation topic were proposed.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 53-12, Section: B, page: 6222.

Thesis (D.N.SC.)--WIDENER UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF NURSING, 1992.

School code: 0969.