THE KNOWLEDGE OF NURSING SCHOOL FACULTY CONCERNING SELECTED ASPECTS OF THE ACADEMIC ROLE.
Contributors: University of Alabama.
Published: 1985
Number of pages: 117
Subjects: Education, Higher.; Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: The purpose of this research was to identify the knowledge novice nursing faculty in baccalaureate and graduate educational programs had concerning selected, non-instructional aspects of the academic role. Aspects of the academic role chosen for inclusion in this study included principles of academic freedom, organizational structure of the university, academic governance, financing the university, and student rights and responsibilities.

A 50-item true/false response questionnaire that would be able to assess a faculty member's academic knowledge was developed and then pre-tested for reliability and validity. This questionnaire was named the Academic Affairs Assessment Scale (AAAS) and sent to faculty members in baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs in the state of Alabama who had taught in these types of programs for 3 years or less. Forty-two usable questionnaires were returned to the researcher and constituted the sample for this study.

Data were reported as frequencies, means, and standard deviations. Data analysis using confidence intervals revealed that there was a significant difference in faculty members' academic knowledge particularly in the areas of organizational structure and academic governance with scores being significantly higher in the former category than they were in the latter. Further analysis of data using the Pearson product moment correlation and the one way analysis of variance revealed no significant differences in academic knowledge when scores on the AAAS were studied in relation to the variables of age, years of teaching experience, academic rank, and tenure status.

The findings from this study supported the conclusion that new faculty in schools of nursing need formal, well-planned orientation programs that meet the faculty members' informational needs as they occur. Faculty orientation is not completed within a predetermined period of time but may need to continue for a much longer period than is suggested in the literature. A greater use by schools of nursing of mentoring practices, assistantships, and traineeships could also benefit novice as well as senior faculty members.

Recommendations for further studies include exploring the relationship between academic knowledge and academic success and how they both relate to job satisfaction. The AAAS should also be tested further with faculty in other disciplines within the university.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 46-11, Section: A, page: 3268.

Thesis (ED.D.)--THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA, 1985.

School code: 0004.