Transcultural Self-Efficacy Perceptions in Nursing Students in Private and Public Higher Educational Groups

Learning objectives include: (1) The learner will be able to identify differences between freshman nursing student groups in transcultural self-efficacy perceptions (2) The learner will be able to identify differences between faculty and freshmen nursing student groups in transcultural self-efficacy perceptions. Using Bandura's Theory of Self-Efficacy (1986) and Jeffreys (2010) Cultural Competence and Confidence (CCC), the purpose of this research is to explore the difference in transcultural self-efficacy between 2 different freshman student populations: a private liberal arts university and urban state institution.  An additional purpose is to examine the differences in transcultural self-efficacy perceptions among Nursing faculty and the two nursing student groups.   A Meta-analysis of research scores on the transcultural self-efficacy test with different populations was also completed.

This cross sectional descriptive study examined the transcultural self-efficacy perceptions (cognitive, practical, and affective subsets) in a convenience sample of 59 freshman nursing students from a private liberal arts university and 56 freshman nursing students from public urban research and teaching state university.

Transcultural self-efficacy perceptions were measured using the Transcultural Self-Efficacy Tool (TSET) developed by Jefferys (2000). Reliability testing on study instrument was evaluated using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient with an adequate score of <.70.

Using Independent Two Sample t-test, overall there were no statistically significant differences in the means in the two nursing student populations. Statistically significant differences were found in the Affective subscale.  There was not enough statistical evidence to conclude significant differences between the two groups in the Cognitive or Practical subscales.

Faculty mean scores were higher than both nursing student group scores.

This study is one of the first to study the differences in transcultural self-efficacy perceptions in nursing students in different institutional settings.  Further investigation into the importance of early introduction into a cultural efficacy focus in nursing education customized to location is implicated by this study. This study also suggests that clinical experience coupled with theory and the importance of faculty cultural efficacy in building student efficacy is also indicated.