NURSING STUDENT PERCEPTIONS OF LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS IN ASSOCIATE AND BACCALAUREATE POST-CONFERENCES.
Contributors: Columbia University. Teachers College.
Published: 1990
Number of pages: 139
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.; Education, Curriculum and Instruction.
Description: The purpose of this study was to identify the nature of actual and ideal learning environments in post-conference settings as seen by students in two different types of nursing programs.

The sample was comprised of eleven different post-conferences in two different community colleges in Connecticut and eleven different post-conferences in four baccalaureate programs in Connecticut and New York.

The Moos & Trickett Classroom Environment Scale (CES) was modified for use. M-CES-R was a measure of the actual environment and M-CES-I measured the ideal environment. Additionally, a Participant Data Sheet gathered demographic data on the conferences and its participants. The following findings emerged.

The actual environmental press within the associate and baccalaureate post-conference was perceived as affiliative and supportive rather than controlling or competitive.

Both associate and baccalaureate groups desired more favorable learning environments than they experienced within their respective conferences. Overall, associate groups wanted more emphasis on relationship dimensions, on system maintenance dimensions and on change dimensions. In essence, associate students wanted a stronger press for teacher-student relationships, student-student interaction, task-focused, organized rule oriented post-conferences with some innovation from time to time. The teacher continued to play a central role in their learning. Baccalaureate groups were more content with their learning environments than the associate students. However, baccalaureate students want their conference environments to be more affiliative and more innovative. These students seem less dependent on the teacher and more desirous of increased peer interaction. Ways must be sought to promote more formalized peer interaction as it can be a potent learning stimulus. More innovative teacher-learning strategies would be a welcome stimulus to these students.

Between group comparisons revealed close similarity in the actually experienced learning environments of associate and baccalaureate conferences. More clearly stated rules were desired in associate conferences than in baccalaureate post-conferences.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 52-03, Section: B, page: 1350.

Thesis (ED.D.)--COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY TEACHERS COLLEGE, 1990.

School code: 0055.