Perceptions of Nursing Education Administrators Regarding the Relationship of Admission Criteria ...

146 Pages·2014·1.3 MB·English

by  Joy F. Cline

Marshall University
Marshall Digital Scholar
Theses, Dissertations and Capstones
2013
Perceptions of Nursing Education Administrators
Regarding the Relationship of Admission Criteria
to Student Graduation
Joy F. Cline
[email protected]
Follow this and additional works at:http://mds.marshall.edu/etd
Part of theEducational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons,Educational
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Recommended Citation
Cline, Joy F., "Perceptions of Nursing Education Administrators Regarding the Relationship of Admission Criteria to Student
Graduation" (2013).Theses, Dissertations and Capstones.Paper 766.
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Perceptions of Nursing Education Administrators Regarding the
Relationship of Admission Criteria to Student Graduation

A dissertation submitted to
the Graduate College of
Marshall University

in partial fulfillment of
the requirement for the degree of
Doctor of Education

in

Higher Education Leadership

by
Joy F. Cline

Approved by

Dr. Barbara L. Nicholson, Committee Chairperson
Dr. Lisa A. Heaton
Dr. Luke Eric Lassiter
Dr. Cynthia Kolsun

Marshall University
December 2013
©2013
Joy F. Cline
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
ii
Dedication

I dedicate this dissertation to my husband, Richard Lee Cline, who has provided
unwavering support through all my educational endeavors, and I am especially thankful for his
encouragement throughout this dissertation process.

iii
Acknowledgements

I wish to especially thank Dr. Barbara Nicholson for her support and encouragement
throughout this dissertation process. Without her patience and persistence, I would never have
completed this dissertation. I also thank my committee members who supported me through the
process: Dr. Lisa Heaton, Dr. Luke Eric Lassiter, and Dr. Cynthia Kolsun. I also want to thank
all the faculty members at the Marshall University Graduate College for the knowledge that I
gained in their classes and seminars.
I acknowledge all the persons in my life who have made this journey with me:
 My husband, Richard Lee Cline
 My children and their spouses, Lisa Cline (Dennis) Thornton and Richard
Shane (Stacey) Cline
 My grandchildren, Jennifer, D.L., and Terrence Thornton
 My siblings and their spouses, Joe (Cassie) Cooper, Susan (Tim)
Bratcher, and my sister-in-law, Mary Jean Cline
 My colleagues at the Marshall University College of Health Professions
 My friends who have consistently understood the frequent refusals of
social events
I also want to thank the chairpersons who served as the sample in my study for their
willingness to provide the time that it took to participate in the surveys and interviews, and for
their forthrightness in the interviews. I could not have completed this study without them.

iv
Table of Contents

Perceptions of Nursing Education Administrators Regarding the Relationship of Admission
Criteria to Student Graduation .................................................................................................... ii
Dedication ............................................................................................................................. iii
Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................... iv
List of Tables ...................................................................................................................... viii
Abstract ................................................................................................................................. ix
CHAPTER 1 ...............................................................................................................................1
Perceptions of Nursing Education Administrators Regarding the Relationship of Admission
Criteria to Student Graduation .....................................................................................................1
Problem Statement ..............................................................................................................3
Sample ................................................................................................................................5
Methods of Study ................................................................................................................5
Purpose of Research ............................................................................................................6
Research Questions .............................................................................................................6
Glossary of Terms ...............................................................................................................7
Chapter 2.................................................................................................................................9
Literature Review ....................................................................................................................9
Grade Point Average ......................................................................................................... 10
Section Summary .............................................................................................................. 17
Pre-Admission Entrance Tests ........................................................................................... 18
Section Summary .............................................................................................................. 28
Nursing Specific Entrance Tests ........................................................................................ 29
Section Summary .............................................................................................................. 38
Interviews.......................................................................................................................... 38
Section Summary .............................................................................................................. 46
Essays ............................................................................................................................... 47
Section Summary .............................................................................................................. 55
Overall Summary .............................................................................................................. 56
Chapter 3............................................................................................................................... 62
Methods ................................................................................................................................ 62
Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 62
Research Questions ........................................................................................................... 62
v
Sample .............................................................................................................................. 63
Design and Sources of Data ............................................................................................... 63
Data Analysis .................................................................................................................... 67
Summary ........................................................................................................................... 69
Chapter 4............................................................................................................................... 71
Results .................................................................................................................................. 71
Sample .............................................................................................................................. 73
Description of Survey Results............................................................................................ 74
Interview Design ............................................................................................................... 76
Description of Interview Results ........................................................................................ 77
Description Phase .............................................................................................................. 78
Grades ............................................................................................................................... 81
Perseverance, Hardiness, and Locus of Control ................................................................. 83
Testing .............................................................................................................................. 87
Admission Criteria Used By the Schools ........................................................................... 89
Pre-requisite Courses Required by the Schools .................................................................. 90
Reduction .......................................................................................................................... 90
Graduation Rates ............................................................................................................... 94
Interpretation ..................................................................................................................... 95
Overall Summary ............................................................................................................ 100
Chapter 5............................................................................................................................. 101
Summary, Conclusions, Discussions, Implications, Recommendations ................................ 101
Purpose ........................................................................................................................... 101
Methods .......................................................................................................................... 102
Results ............................................................................................................................ 102
Recommendations and Limitations .................................................................................. 105
Implications..................................................................................................................... 106
Conclusions ..................................................................................................................... 107
References........................................................................................................................... 109
APPENDIX A ..................................................................................................................... 119
Survey ............................................................................................................................. 120
APPENDIX B ..................................................................................................................... 124
Frequency Table .............................................................................................................. 125
APPENDIX C ..................................................................................................................... 127
vi
Admission Criteria Used By Study Sample ...................................................................... 128
APPENDIX D ..................................................................................................................... 129
Pre-Requisite Courses Required by 4-year Nursing Programs in the Study ...................... 130
APPENDIX E ..................................................................................................................... 131
Letter from Institutional Review Board............................................................................ 132
Curriculum Vitae ............................................................................................................. 133

vii
List of Tables

1. Table 1.0. NLNAC Data: Graduation Rate by Program Type………………………. 65

viii
Abstract

This research investigated admission criteria of baccalaureate nursing students related to their
success in a multi-state sample of peer universities in the United States. The researcher used
mixed methods to collect data that were analyzed using descriptive and phenomenological
approaches. The sample of the study was chairpersons from peer institutions of nursing. Data
were collected based on the lived experiences of the chairpersons. The purpose of the study was
to identify admission criteria that the schools in the study were using and to identify the criteria
that predicted success as defined by graduation. The premise of the study was that if more
students could graduate, the nursing shortage that is predicted could be mitigated. The findings
of the study revealed that it is most likely that a combination of admission criteria predict student
success in baccalaureate nursing programs. This study found that the criteria likely to predict
success were overall college grade point average, college science grade point average,
perseverance, and hardiness.
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