Friday, 22 February 2019
Background
The socio-economic changes observed nowadays, along with the effects of a globalized society, are factors leading to the evolving of changes in the academic sector, specifically in the composition of learners entering higher education. Hussar and Bailey (2016) reported that for the period of 1999 to 2013, 41% of the enrollments in higher education between the ages of 25 to 34, who had a previous educational background, family responsibilities, and worked full time. These descriptors are features associated with the definition of non-traditional adult learners and their characteristic profile. Non-traditional adult learners can make a valuable contribution to nursing academia and nursing practice due to their practical skills, motivation and other personal characteristics, which combined, could help to improve outcomes in the nursing profession. Nonetheless, understanding the extent to which their characteristics may hinder their attainment of academic and professional goals is important for scholars, as well as for administrators and policy makers for several reasons: to understand the root of the cause for not meeting the proposed outcomes, and to developing interventions that could assist non-traditional students/graduates to achieve their professional goals. The available literature is limited in regards to the number of studies that identify, describe, explore, or predict the factors associated with NCLEX-RN performance, specifically amongst nontraditional adult learners after graduation. Research organizes the variables describing a non-traditional group of adult students into three categories, (a) demographic, (b) environmental, and (c) psychological; which are believed to have a positive or negative effect on an individual’s chance of passing NCLEX-RN. The literature describes demographic factors as age, gender, language proficiency, level of education, time since last attendance at school and prior educational experience (high school or other educational degree at the associate degree level or higher. Environmental factors are described by the individual’s family obligations (head-of-household or single parent), employment responsibilities and financial situation. Psychological factors include dispositional motivation, attitude to the educational process, self-directedness and goals in life.
Purpose
The study will attempt to analyze how the demographic, social, and psychological factors observed in the nontraditional adult learner characteristics profile are related to NCLEX- RN performance amongst graduates from an Associate Degree in nursing program. The purpose of this study is to address an important gap in the nursing education literature in regards to the effects of the non-traditional student’s personal, environmental and psychological factors observed in their characteristics profile to predict NCLEX- RN performance amongst graduates from an Associate Degree in nursing program. Because the readiness process for NCLEX-RN varies in regards to the student’s ability to cope and manage the different factors surrounding their life, this proposed study will be addressed to examine any relationships and to predicts if these factors will have a significant impact, positively or negatively, in their NCLEX-RN performance.
Philosophical Underpinning and Theoretical Framework.
The foundations of this study are supported by two pillars of the research philosophy: The post positive Paradigm and The Adult Learning Theory, commonly known as Andragogy.
The Positivism Paradigm, as the philosophical underpinning, is chosen because it allows to empirically analyze the non-academic factors sought to have an effect in the student’s NCLEX outcomes, by means of the application of the scientific process. From the epistemological terms of this paradigm, the verification of the nonacademic factors through the scientific method, will allow to draw conclusions of the presume relationships and outcomes.
The ontological perspective of this paradigm is applied in this study by the theoretical stands of the Andragogy theory, which attempt to explain the characteristic's profile and behavioral response of the adult learner under the assumption of 4 principles: Adult learners are involved in their own learning, Self-direction (ability to actively participate in their learning process); Make meanings of their learning process, as they become mature; Their previous experience are the foundation for further learning and may promote academic success; Learning activities have a relevance to the personal life or career. Andragogy theory, as the theoretical framework of this proposed study, acknowledges four principles that adjust to the adult learner characteristic profile, and are assumed to influence the learning capacity and coping abilities adopted to overcome the demographic, social, and psychological factors that exist in the nontraditional adult student’s characteristic profile.
Methods.
A quantitative, non-experimental study will be applied, which will follow a correlational and regression design to analyze the established hypothesis. The Appraisal-Revised 2 (SPAR-R-2) (Jeffreys, 2007) tool will be used to collect the social and psychological aspects of the participants, and a demographic questionnaire will provide information about their demographic status as well as their NCLEX-RN outcomes. The wellbeing of the participant will be ensured by strictly following ethical principles of respect, beneficence, and justice, which will be documented in an informed consent, and consistently applied throughout the data collection and analysis.
The socio-economic changes observed nowadays, along with the effects of a globalized society, are factors leading to the evolving of changes in the academic sector, specifically in the composition of learners entering higher education. Hussar and Bailey (2016) reported that for the period of 1999 to 2013, 41% of the enrollments in higher education between the ages of 25 to 34, who had a previous educational background, family responsibilities, and worked full time. These descriptors are features associated with the definition of non-traditional adult learners and their characteristic profile. Non-traditional adult learners can make a valuable contribution to nursing academia and nursing practice due to their practical skills, motivation and other personal characteristics, which combined, could help to improve outcomes in the nursing profession. Nonetheless, understanding the extent to which their characteristics may hinder their attainment of academic and professional goals is important for scholars, as well as for administrators and policy makers for several reasons: to understand the root of the cause for not meeting the proposed outcomes, and to developing interventions that could assist non-traditional students/graduates to achieve their professional goals. The available literature is limited in regards to the number of studies that identify, describe, explore, or predict the factors associated with NCLEX-RN performance, specifically amongst nontraditional adult learners after graduation. Research organizes the variables describing a non-traditional group of adult students into three categories, (a) demographic, (b) environmental, and (c) psychological; which are believed to have a positive or negative effect on an individual’s chance of passing NCLEX-RN. The literature describes demographic factors as age, gender, language proficiency, level of education, time since last attendance at school and prior educational experience (high school or other educational degree at the associate degree level or higher. Environmental factors are described by the individual’s family obligations (head-of-household or single parent), employment responsibilities and financial situation. Psychological factors include dispositional motivation, attitude to the educational process, self-directedness and goals in life.
Purpose
The study will attempt to analyze how the demographic, social, and psychological factors observed in the nontraditional adult learner characteristics profile are related to NCLEX- RN performance amongst graduates from an Associate Degree in nursing program. The purpose of this study is to address an important gap in the nursing education literature in regards to the effects of the non-traditional student’s personal, environmental and psychological factors observed in their characteristics profile to predict NCLEX- RN performance amongst graduates from an Associate Degree in nursing program. Because the readiness process for NCLEX-RN varies in regards to the student’s ability to cope and manage the different factors surrounding their life, this proposed study will be addressed to examine any relationships and to predicts if these factors will have a significant impact, positively or negatively, in their NCLEX-RN performance.
Philosophical Underpinning and Theoretical Framework.
The foundations of this study are supported by two pillars of the research philosophy: The post positive Paradigm and The Adult Learning Theory, commonly known as Andragogy.
The Positivism Paradigm, as the philosophical underpinning, is chosen because it allows to empirically analyze the non-academic factors sought to have an effect in the student’s NCLEX outcomes, by means of the application of the scientific process. From the epistemological terms of this paradigm, the verification of the nonacademic factors through the scientific method, will allow to draw conclusions of the presume relationships and outcomes.
The ontological perspective of this paradigm is applied in this study by the theoretical stands of the Andragogy theory, which attempt to explain the characteristic's profile and behavioral response of the adult learner under the assumption of 4 principles: Adult learners are involved in their own learning, Self-direction (ability to actively participate in their learning process); Make meanings of their learning process, as they become mature; Their previous experience are the foundation for further learning and may promote academic success; Learning activities have a relevance to the personal life or career. Andragogy theory, as the theoretical framework of this proposed study, acknowledges four principles that adjust to the adult learner characteristic profile, and are assumed to influence the learning capacity and coping abilities adopted to overcome the demographic, social, and psychological factors that exist in the nontraditional adult student’s characteristic profile.
Methods.
A quantitative, non-experimental study will be applied, which will follow a correlational and regression design to analyze the established hypothesis. The Appraisal-Revised 2 (SPAR-R-2) (Jeffreys, 2007) tool will be used to collect the social and psychological aspects of the participants, and a demographic questionnaire will provide information about their demographic status as well as their NCLEX-RN outcomes. The wellbeing of the participant will be ensured by strictly following ethical principles of respect, beneficence, and justice, which will be documented in an informed consent, and consistently applied throughout the data collection and analysis.
See more of: Rising Stars of Research and Scholarship Invited Student Posters Session 1
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