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Thesis (Ph. D.)--Illinois State University, 2003. / Title from title page screen, viewed November 10, 2005. Dissertation Committee: Amee Adkins (chair), W. Paul Vogt, Edward R. Hines, Nancy Ridenour. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 205-212) and abstract. Also available in print.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Illinois State University, 1995. / Title from title page screen, viewed April 20, 2006. Dissertation Committee: Larry Kennedy (chair), John Goeldi, Franklin Lewis, William Tolone. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 105-110) and abstract. Also available in print.

This study focused on the experiences of ethnic minority nursing students at a predominately white institution, the Health Sciences University School of Nursing in an attempt to learn more about the stress, appraisal, and coping of this group of individuals. The University School of Nursing was selected as a comparison site as it offered a setting with no predominate ethnic group. Faculty•s perceptions of students stress, appraisal and coping were sought to provide a context for the students• experience. A review of the literature indicated that ethnic minority students in predominately white universities experience alienation. At some universities white and ethnic minority students and faculty differ in their perceptions of what should be offered as support to ethnic minority students. Studying the experiences of students at a health care science university, dedicated to the health and care of individuals provided useful insights. Of particular importance was the investigation of what constituted problematic and nonconstructive relationships and structures. Symbolic interactionism, socialization theory, stress, appraisal and coping theory and attribution theory offered sensitizing concepts from which 23 ethnic minority nursing student and 12 nursing faculty interviews were taped, and analyzed. A constant comparative method of qualitative analysis proposed by Glaser and Strauss offered a systematic approach in developing substantive concepts. Common to most nursing students was the phenomenon of making it in nursing school. Making it was characterized by two main categories, being out of control and gaining control. Being out-of-control was understood as the stress producing threats of conflicting demands of family, work and school and being sanctioned, the evaluation and approval by faculty of ones• professional performance. Gaining control included managing multiple demands, reaffirming ones• choice of nursing and disengaging from the student role to becoming a nurse. A set of experiences unique to ethnic minority students was identified when some aspect of ethnicity was central to the problematic experience. A core phenomenon of exclusion as a threat to identity emerged. Three forms of exclusion were identified: (1) linguistic difficulty; (2) interpersonal disregard; (3) ethno-cultural incongruity. Students 1 acceptance of responsibility for the problematic situation influenced their coping strategies. Holding back, keeping silent, disengaging and giving up were the usual coping responses. Only when the stakes were high, for example passing a course, would students speak out, negotiate or confront to in order to preserve their academic progression. Faculty accurately identified students 1 stresses as: staggering under the load, building a professional identity, experiencing isolation and facing cultural unresponsiveness. Faculty misidentified some of students 1 withdrawal coping behaviors as a cultural norm of being quiet or reserved. In addition, faculty offered descriptions of their own stress in teaching ethnic minority students with English as a second language such as trying to decide when to bend over backwards to help the students and when to draw the line. The most important conclusion reached was that ethnic minority students experienced a set of stressors linked to their perceptions of their ethnic status. A major stressor was exclusion, in that it interfered with the core task of becoming socialized as a nurse. Weak social bonds within the school of nursing and to the profession can hamper the recruitment of others from a particular ethnic group to the school and ultimately into the health care profession. A focus on the interpretation of interpersonal events in health care settings is crucial in surfacing the cultural nuances of understanding and meaning. Recommendations were made to: (1) develop an enriched grounded theory and promote mutual understanding through faculty, nursing staff and student group interviews and (2) increase the comprehensiveness of ethnic minority student retention data bases.

Thesis (Ed.D.)-- Teachers College, Columbia University, 1996. / Includes tables. Typescript; issued also on microfilm. Sponsor: Marie O'Toole. Dissertation Committee: Raechele Pope. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 179-192).

The purpose of this naturalistic qualitative inquiry was to determine perceptions of experiences of nontraditional African American nursing students regarding their persistence in or departure from a baccalaureate degree nursing program. The literature reflects that although more people of color are enrolling in higher education, graduation rates remain dismal. Many studies have examined the problem from an institutional viewpoint with a focus on retention and attrition. The present study laid out a blueprint for qualitative research and focused on the individual student so that the problem was approached from the angles of persistence and departure. A bi-polar model of this educational issue was proposed to demonstrate this concept.Convenience sampling was used to identify participants who were assigned to separate focus groups. One group was composed of participants who were departers due to academic dismissal. The second group was composed of participants who persisted and were either currently enrolled or had graduated. Interview guides were developed and participants were interviewed in a focus group setting, followed by individual interviews. Data analysis identified emergent themes from the transcribed interviews that fell into the categories of educational climate, myth of homogeneity, and desire for a level playing field.The findings suggest that African Americans attending predominantly White institutions continue to face racism and oppression, supporting the conclusion of previous researchers on these issues. Implications from this study concluded that to reflect the changing demographics in society, higher education and specifically nursing education must become more inclusive.The conceptual framework for this study was based on the theories of McClusky (1963) from the field of adult education; and Tinto (1975, 1993) prominent in the field of higher education. McClusky's Power/Load/Margin Theory was found to be minimally supportive in describing the experiences of nontraditional African American BSN students. Participants identified barriers that related solely to their status as African Americans and thus eroded the level of Margin. Tinto's longitudinal model of institutional departure was found to be applicable to students who leave due to academic dismissal, an area not previously addressed in the model. Recommendations for further research were given. / Department of Educational Leadership