Professional Documents
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The increasing demand of nurses all over the world greatly affects the decisions of the
people.
Though the news about the nurse’s jobs is getting scarce they still take the nursing course. And in
order to become competitive among the millions of nursing students, one must start it in school
through studying hard and retaining information.
Bean and Metzner (1985) describe academic factors as student’s primary involvement with
the academic process at the college and purports that among non traditional student’s academic
factors are less important than environmental factors in influencing retention (Metzner and Bean,
1987). Academic Integration, sometimes been used to describe a cluster of academic factors that
can influence retention, and has been defined as “the development of a strong affiliation with the
college environment both inside and outside of class” (Nora, 1993 p. 235)
For nursing students, the academic factors deemed most important for retention include
Personal Study Skills, Study Hours, Attendance, Class Schedule and General Academic Services
(college library, college counseling and computer library).
Personal study skills, refers to specific elements, attitudes about the responsibility for study
and effort expended on academic pursuits, affect nursing student retention through academic
performance and psychological outcomes. Consistent with higher education, the increasingly
academically diverse nursing student population presents with varying study skills (Heller, Oros
and Durney-Crowley, 2000; Tanner, 1998). Additionally, used of varied study skills has been
associated with better academic outcomes (Napoli & Wortman, 1998), which in turn positively
influence retention. Effort expended on planning and study activities yields better academic
outcome (Flowers, 2002).
In the NURS model, personal study hours refer to the number of hours allocated exclusively
to positive study activities in which positive study behaviors and attitudes are actively used. In
this model, students with more personal study hours are expected to have more positive academic
outcomes and retentions than will students with inadequate personal study hours. Adequate study
hours are individually based and are defined as the least number of personal study hours needed
to achieve the short-term academic outcomes (passing exam, completing accurate care plan, etc.)
and long-term academic outcomes (successfully completing nursing course components).
The Metzner and Bean (1987) model included absenteeism as an academic variable
influencing attrition; however, the NURS model focuses on attendance. Nevertheless, the
literature regarding attendance reveals several interesting phenomena that are relevant for nursing
education. First, attendance (or absenteeism) should be monitored to help identify at-risk
students. Second, attendance should be monitored in relation to other variables with the purpose
of identifying students most at risk for attrition. In nursing, attendance is somewhat more
complex than it is among the general college population. Consequently, students may not
comprehend, value, or expect rigid attendance policies will be upheld, especially among
beginning students who have had no prior exposure to nursing courses.
Attendance may be further differentiated between various nursing course components
such as theoretical (classroom hours), skills laboratory, and/or clinical hours. Clearly,
clinical attendance is a valuable dimension to learning and assists the student in connecting
theoretical information, nursing skills, and client’s competency. Absences create
complicated disadvantages; attendance creates valuable advantages. Attendance needs to be
viewed in relation to other variables and to the other dimensions of the NURS model if at
risk students are to be identified early.
Availability of courses, flexibility of courses, and convenience are factors that can
influence retention through academic and psychological outcomes (Bean and Metzner,
1985;
Burr, Burr, & Novak, 1999). Consistently, across three study samples, most nursing students
have identified “class schedule” as influencing retention. Responses ranged from “severely
restrictive” to “greatly supportive” (Jeffreys, 1993, 1998, 2000, 2002). Class schedule is
included in the NURS model because students’ perceptions of class schedule, with its
physical demands and time constraints can influence retention positively or negatively and
in varying degrees. Students’ perception of class schedule is the most important aspect to
assess.
General academic services are designed to assist students with their academic goals and
are available to all college students, regardless of academic major. They include the library,
counseling, and computer laboratories.
General academic services that are convenient accessible, and helpful will encourage
more active use of these support services.
The assessment of nursing students’ perceptions of general academic services is valuable
(Lehna, Jackonen, & Wilson, 1996). Greater, comprehensive use of services, in conjunction
with other academic factors, positively influences retention by enhancing academic and
psychological outcomes. For example, maximizing use of various library services
appropriate
to course objectives can assist with improved study skills and academic integration, thus
enhancing retention. Counseling services have shown to be beneficial to nursing student
academic and psychological outcomes (Lehna et at., 1996). Higher education literature
reports that counseled students have higher rates than non-counseled students (Turner &
Berry, 2000; Wilson, Mason, & Ewing, 1997), Kraemer (1997) stated that commuter
students
who frequently use computer laboratory facilities on campus are more involved in cognitive
development than are other students; enhanced cognitive development enhances retention.
Also according to a journal of The Canadian Nurse; Mar 1, 2003 by BOLAN,
CHRISTINE M. and GRAINGER, PATRICIA “Success in nursing programs influenced by
such academic factors as overall. Similarly, non-academic factors associated attrition from
nursing programs perception of nursing as a career. (12) Other non-academic factors in
attrition...” this article states that nursing programs become successful in retaining
information to their learners by the influence of the academic factors.
This study aimed to determine the academic factors such as hospital performance,
strategic studying, personal study skills, attendance, and class schedule and identify
whether these factors could distinguish differences among students, based on RLE
performance.
Conceptual Framework
Academic factors
Personal Study Skill RLE performance grade
Attendance according to their clinical
General Academic Services instructor
Study Hours
Class Schedule
Performance of Performance
the students of the students
who attended who attended
Lecture before their hospital
having their duties before
hospital duties Lecture
RESEARCH PARADIGM
PROCESS INPUT OUTPUT
1.What were the most common academic factors that greatly influenced the RLE of the 4th
year nursing students?
2.How did these academic factors affect the RLE performance of the 4th year nursing
students during their Hospital duty hours?
3.What were the results of their performance in their hospital duty hours?
4.Is there a significant relationship between the academic factors and the RLE performance
of the 4th year nursing student during their hospital duty hours?
5.Is there a significant difference between the grades of the students who attended hospital
duties before lecture and those who had their lecture before having their hospital
duties?
HYPOTHESES
Research Design
Survey Research was used in the study to determine
the performance of the students. This was conducted
through a paper-pen questionnaire. Here, the researchers
used questionnaires and photocopies of the RLE record
book of the students for measuring instrument in collecting
data and to determine the academic factors affecting their
RLE performance of the selected 4th year nursing students
in Our Lady of Fatima University.
Population and Locale of the Study
The researchers chose respondents in the 4th year level
following a certain criteria. That the respondents should have their
record grades of NCM 101 and 102 to use as the basis of this
research study. 50 respondents were used in this study. The
respondents were composed of 31 students who attended lecture
first before their duties and 19 students who attended their duties
first before lecture.
The locale of this study was in Our Lady of Fatima University
—Lagro, Quezon City. This was conducted in the 1st semester of
the year 2008-2009.
(O-E)²
x²= Σ ------------
E
Where O = observed frequency
E = expected frequency
Σ = sum the calculated values
CHAPTER III
PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND
INTERPRETATION OF DATA
Table 1
Distribution of the most common Academic Factor according to 4th year nursing
students.
Study hours 10 20 %
Class schedule 11 22 %
Attendance 1 2%
The results showed that 44% of the students chose personal study skills as
their most common academic factor. Next to it 22% chose class schedule, 20% study hours, 12%
chose general academic services and lastly 2% of the students chose attendance. Additionally, use
of varied personal study skill has been associated with better academic outcomes (Napoli and
Wortman,1998) which in turn positively influence the result of the student’s performance.
QUESTIONS
Student
2 3 4 5 Average
Table 2 1 4 4 5 5 4.5
Since the computed t- value (0.21) is lesser than the critical value (±
2.0210) then Ho should be accepted. Accepting Ho means that there is no
significant relationship between the academic factors and the RLE
performance of the 4th year nursing students during their hospital duty
hours at 0.05 level of significance.
(x-x)²
Student NCM 101 NCM 102 Average
TOTAL
72 70.25 71.19 0.6435