SELECTED FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH ACADEMIC SUCCESS OF BLACK AND WHITE STUDENTS IN URBAN ASSOCIATE DEGREE NURSING PROGRAMS (MINORITY STUDENTS).
Contributors: University of Michigan.
Published: 1986
Number of pages: 178
Subjects: Education, Higher.
Description: Data were collected on 668 students who entered the associate degree nursing program in five diverse urban community colleges between 1974 and 1983. Demographic information, study patterns, and dates of state board passing were collected from students by mailed questionnaires. High school and college transcripts, pre-nursing standardized test scores, and state board examination results came from institutional records. The respondents were 63% Black, 30% white, and 7% other. The response rate was 56%.

The investigation utilized non-probability purposive sampling. ANOVAS and chi-squares uncovered many variables that were related to college graduation: having attended a higher quality high school, having had some college between high school graduation and entering the nursing program, scoring higher on the National League for Nursing Pre-admission Examination, having a higher income, financially supported by a spouse rather than a government loan (personal investment being an indicator of commitment to succeed) and avoiding some dysfunctional study habits (for example, making careless errors).

Age, number of children, parental educational level and occupation, time between high school graduation and admission to nursing (11 years), quality of high school mathematics and science courses, number of hours working during college and most study habits were unrelated to success. Multiple regressions were run on the combined sample and race did not enter.

Some results of Blacks differed from white respondents: high school grade point average had less predictive relevance, attrition in the nursing program was higher, and regressions for blacks and whites produced different predictors of success for college graduation and for passing of the national examination.

Significant variables related to success on first writing of state board examinations included graduation from a higher quality high school, type of financial support during college, and appropriate use of a tutor. None of the variables was significant for whites.

The implications are that retention and passing of the state board examination for Blacks could be increased appreciably.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 47-10, Section: A, page: 3681.

Thesis (PH.D.)--THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN, 1986.

School code: 0127.