A major purpose of the study was to determine whether differences exist between perceptions about sources of power by deans of colleges of nursing in medical centers and deans in non-medical centers. Discernible differences attributable to position title and years of administrative experience were also investigated. A subsidiary purpose of the study was to explore relationships between expert and referent power and among coercive, legitimate, and reward power.Data were collected from 206 out of 300 administrators of National League for Nursing accredited baccalaureate and higher degree programs. A Power Assessment Instrument measuring the five sources of social power as formalized by French and Raven, and a Demographic Data Sheet were utilized for data collection.Decisions about three null hypotheses were made at the 0.05 level by use of multivariate and univariate analysis and, where appropriate, post hoc Newman -Keuls procedures. Findings for a fourth hypothesis were drawn from a Pearson Product-Moment correlation analysis.Major findings included:1. No differences were observed in perceptions about sources of power between deans in medical centers and deans in non-medical center settings.2. Coercive and referent power emerged as significant variables in comparing deans to all chairmen and deans to chairmen reporting directly to the chief academic officer. Deans perceive presence of more coercive power than chairmen while chairmen perceive referent power than deans. Deans and chairmen not reporting directly did not differ.3. Administrators with eleven or more years of administrative experience perceive presence of expert power more than administrators with ten years or less of experience.4. All five sources of power were highly correlated with no discernible tendencies for grouping between expert and referent power or among coercive, legitimate, and reward power.Additional observations, while not empirically supported by the data, were presented. Also presented were recommendations for further explorations pertaining to nursing education and power assessment.

Background: Literature on postgraduate student throughput and success suggests a mismatch between registration, throughput and success rates among postgraduate students. Purpose of the Study: This study aimed at exploring and describing mechanisms used to increase throughput and success rates in Postgraduate Nursing Programmes at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Conceptual Framework: The theoretical framework used in this study was derived from Tinto's proposed Theory ofInstitutional Action (2005). This theory is based on the assumption that learners' behaviour which is manifested in persistence or departure is never fully understood because only the act of leaving or staying is observed, not the underlying intentions behind the action. Research Methodology: Using a mixed methods paradigm, the whole target population of 83 participants was sampled for the quantitative aspect and 2 focus groups each consisting about 12 participants for the qualitative aspect were used. Data were collected using a questionnaire and an interview guide. Descriptive statistics and were used for quantitative data, while thematic content analysis was used for qualitative data. Results: This study revealed that the support mechanisms for increasing student throughput and success rates are structured in three phases: the pre-enrolment phase, the integration phase, and the engagement phase. During the pre-enrolment phase, support is offered in form of information to help students understand what is expected of them, inform students about the programmes offered, the cost of the programmes, duration of the programs and the available support services. During the integration phase, the support provided includes guidance about the registration process, information about programmes and disciplines offered, counselling regarding curriculum design, modules to select and required credits for completion, orientation, and helping international students with visa extension with repatriation issues. During the engagement phase, the support provided includes academic, psychosocial and financial services. Facilitating factors reported include: student interaction with academic staff to monitor and provide feedback, a responsive curriculum to learning needs through the teaching and assessments methods utilised, active student involvement, personal effort, prior learning and working experience, and enough learning resources. Barriers reported were inadequate information, insufficiency of student-lecturer interaction time, unsuitable psychosocial support for adult learners, lack of mentorship and academic advising services, lack of time to participate in co-curricular activities, limited time for studying, ineffective use of learning resources, and language barrier. Recommendations: The study revealed a need to provide a balance mixture the available support mechanisms because academic support dominated the support services offered. Findings also showed the necessity to adapt the psychosocial support to the needs of all categories of students including adult postgraduate students. / Thesis (M.N.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2010.

The purpose of the study was to examine students' perceptions of frequency of clinical teacher behaviors and whether those perceptions change by class level. The theoretical framework for the study was Bevis' paradigm of curriculum revolution.In 1993, Marilyn Simons, DNS gathered data from nursing students enrolled in clinical nursing courses at a Midwestern university. The convenience sample totaled 88 (100%). The data was not analyzed or reported. The current study was a retrospective analysis of that data.Findings of the study showed that students perceived faculty as demonstrating professional competence and interpersonal relationship behaviors in the clinical setting. No significant differences were found in these perceptions by class level on either then total scale or on the subscales.The conclusion from the study was that faculty at this particular university are perceived as practicing emancipatory education as proposed by Bevis. It was also concluded that faculty perform at the same level of competency and use similar approaches without regard to class level, and that students perceived that faculty related to them in similar ways across classes.The study was significant because it helps nurse educators understand the student perspective of clinical teacher behavior. The Clinical Teacher Behavior Tool used in the study could be used to help design a cooperative clinical learning model different from the traditional education approach and in accordance with Bevis' paradigm. / School of Nursing

The problem with which this investigation is concerned is the development of a theoretical framework for a program of graduate education for the preparation of teachers and administrators in nursing education. The theoretical framework for the program was developed after extensive research of the literature concerning graduate education generally and nursing specifically. Additional data were obtained from four different questionnaires sent to the presidents, chairmen, and faculty of all Texas colleges with programs for an Associate Degree in Nursing as well as to 100 students and 100 graduates representing all Texas programs for the Associate Degree in Nursing. The purpose of the study was to review the history of nursing, its development as a profession, and its system of education, including past, present, and future trends in each category of education. This survey gave a perspective to the graduate program proposed in this study. hen all fifty-seven accredited graduate nursing programs in the United States were analyzed to determine the current nature of graduate education in nursing and innovations initiated by specific graduate programs, as substantiated by the literature. The data from the questionnaires sent to all the Texas programs for the Associate Degree in Nursing paralleled the developments and facts revealed in the literature. From all of this information, a theoretical framework for a graduate program in nursing was developed. A description of the program follows. A master's degree received from an accredited university is considered the acceptable minimum preparation for positions of faculty and administrators of basic educational programs in nursing. The following graduate curriculum was developed in order to strengthen this preparation. The student in the master's degree curriculum is provided with the opportunity to capitalize on past knowledge, skill, and education acquired in any setting and to build on this foundation. A research, teaching/administration, and advanced clinical nursing interdisciplinary core of nine credits is required in the program. Then, with the help of the faculty in considering the student's learning needs and career goals, a minimum of twenty-seven additional modular units are incorporated into the program. The student is then assisted by the faculty in determining program behavioral objectives and specific modular unit behavioral objectives. Evaluation of the student's work and progress and successful completion of the program will be based on the developed objectives. These are recorded on the student's transcript in lieu of grades. The minimum criterion of acceptable behavior is a satisfactory completion of the broad expected behaviors established for the graduate program. Implementation, accountability, and demonstration of these objectives are determined by each student as guided by the faculty. When the objectives have been met, the student is eligible for a Master of Arts or Master of Science Degree in Nursing Education. It is recommended that an experimental program be established to test the proposed graduate program and the postulates underlying it. In addition, it is recommended that the findings be analyzed in order to determine the adaptability and applicability of this program to other professional graduate educational programs.

This study described the mentoring relationship between doctoral nursing students and their committee chairs. Twenty-two public university doctoral programs responded to a request for names and addresses of their doctoral candidates. The Major Professor Mentoring Scale was used to measure the mentoring relationship. The survey also included demographic and open-ended questions regarding the student-committee chair relationship. Surveys were mailed to 269 doctoral students with an 86% return rate. A principal components analysis was performed to identify the structure underpinning the relationship. The typical doctoral student in this sample was found to be a 44 year old Caucasian female, married with children, working full or part time while pursuing a PhD degree. Students traveled an average of 85 miles each way to campus and nearly half had selected their program based on its location. The typical committee chair was a Caucasian, tenured, associate or full professor between 46 and 69 years of age. The majority of chairs were married and had funded research projects. The students in the study reported knowing their chairs for an average of five years. The study revealed that mentoring is occurring in the majority of relationships between doctoral nursing students and their committee chairs. Students identified many strengths and weaknesses in their relationships with their chairs although the relationship appears to be largely positive. The mentoring relationship is composed of four principal components, the largest of which is psychosocial support. Dissertation support, role modeling and scholarly collaboration comprise the other three components. The factor receiving the most positive rating was role modeling, suggesting that students see their chairs as intelligent and hard-working. Students also report positive feelings about both the psychosocial and dissertation support they have received from their chairs. Students reported more neutral feelings about scholarly collaboration suggesting that this is not a frequent occurrence in the relationship. Demographic variables including age, sex, race, geographic distance and family status were not predictors for mentoring scores.

A new role has been developed in nursing named the Clinical Nurse LeaderSM (CNL®). This new role positions the masters prepared nurse at the patient's bedside to oversee care coordination and serve as a resource for the clinical nursing team, and to bridge the gaps in health care delivery to better meet the needs of patients in all health care delivery settings. Since this is a new role, there is a paucity of research that has been conducted surrounding these nurses. A phenomenological investigation examined the lived experiences of CNLs® to gain understanding about the meaning of leadership at the point of care and to discover the unique expressions of living caring that CNLs® experience as they embark upon this new role in the acute care hospital setting. Ten CNL® participants were interviewed for this study. Their stories about patient situations and relationships with other disciplines were shared with rich description and emotion. Hermeneutic analysis of the text revealed six essential themes. Six essential themes emerged revealing the essence of leading at the bedside and living caring in the CNL® role: navigating safe passage, pride in making a difference, bringing the bedside point of view, knowing the patient as person, helping nurses to grow, and CNLs® needing to be known, understood and affirmed. Taken as a whole through a synthesis of the themes, the understanding of the meaning of leading to CNLs® includes keeping their patients safe, being proud of their accomplishments and the respect gained from others, as well as being a helper and advocate for other nurses. / This is accomplished through their privileged place at the bedside, where they come to know their patients as person and work hand in hand with nursing colleagues. When CNLs® are supported by management, and their roles are planned and understood, they are more fully able to optimally practice and live and grow in caring. / by Barbara C. Sorbello. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2010. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2010. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

One of the core issues in distance education has been the adequacy of assessment of student experiences and the interaction between faculty and students. This challenge has become even greater with the increase in the numbers of online courses in nursing. Distance education programs that are delivered totally online have many advantages and some disadvantages. Masters level nursing students are choosing online programs for convenience, flexibility, and quality. The purpose of this study was two-fold: to describe Masters nursing students’ perceptions of online courses between 2005 and 2009, as expressed through word data in a web evaluation survey; and to analyze the student perceptions of the online learning environment for trends and themes. The questions of this investigation were the following: 1. What perceptions do Masters nursing students have of their online courses (2005-2009) as expressed through word data in a web evaluation survey? 2. What recommendations can be made for continuous improvement and best practices in programming and evaluation methods based on student perceptions. This research utilized Constructivist Theory as a theoretical model. There were 1625 student comments and 903 suggestions that were analyzed for themes and placed in categories. A qualitative analysis approach was utilized to create categories and look for trends in the data. There were six categories gleaned from the comments and six more that were found as a result of reviewing the suggestions that were made for future course offerings. The researcher found that there was some overlap between the categories of the comments and those of the suggestions. The perception of the students regarding their online course experience in the graduate nursing program was very positive. The flexibility and independence that the online environment offered was appreciated. Blackboard was viewed very positively and students felt that it was easy to use. Students enjoyed the interaction with peers and with faculty and felt it was a valuable learning experience. Recommendations were identified, based on the findings related to the use of technology, recruitment and retention of faculty, and teaching strategies and learning styles. / Access to thesis permanently restricted to Ball State community only / Department of Educational Studies

Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree in Master of Technology: Nursing, Durban University of Technology, 2012. / Background : Work Integrated Learning is an educational approach that aligns academic and workplace practices for the mutual benefit of students and workplaces. Work Integrated Learning like in any other nursing course is essential in primary health care as required by the South African Nursing Council. In the clinical setting, students develop clinical and diagnostic reasoning; they also learn how to make the appropriate clinical decisions which they need as qualified primary health care practitioners. This is achieved through instruction and guidance by lecturers, mentors and clinical staff. However it has been noted that the clinical learning environment confronts students with challenges that are absent from the classroom situation. So this study seeks to explore and describe the experiences of post basic nursing students in primary health care clinics so as to address the challenges that are faced within the clinical settings. Aim of the study The aim of the study was to explore and describe primary health care post basic nursing students’ experiences during clinical placements. Methodology : A descriptive exploratory qualitative approach was used to guide the study. In-depth interviews were conducted with ten primary health care post basic nursing students who were allocated for Work Integrated Learning at the clinics in District A and District B in 2011. The main research question for this study was asked: ‘What are the experiences of primary health care post basic nursing students regarding Work Integrated Learning?’ Results : The findings of this study revealed that Work Integrated Learning is vital for the development of clinical skills amongst primary health care post basic nursing students. However, shortage of staff, inadequate material/ non-human resources, lack of supervision in the clinical facilities, distant clinical facilities and insufficient practice in the clinical skills laboratory were identified as challenges that students experience during Work Integrated Learning placement.

Up to 1998, the Institutes of Nursing in the United Arab Emirates have been using the traditional lecture-based teaching/learning process in their graduate-nursing program. In 1998, however, these Institutes adopted a new approach; namely, the case-based learning (CBL) for the education of their nursing students. This approach emphasizes the use of self-directed and cooperative learning that is supposed to help students increase their critical thinking (CT) level. As the students were experiencing changes in the teaching practices, it was important to determine the effect of the teaching and learning approaches on students' CT abilities, and to describe suggestions needed for improvement. Empirically, very little is known regarding the influence of CBL on a student's CT. The question then remains, as to whether students who have undergone case-based learning, differ significantly in their CT abilities from those who studied in the traditional method. This study investigates the critical thinking skills in relation to two types of nursing educational programs: (a) the traditional teaching and (b) the case-based learning. The professed purpose of the study in hand is to measure and compare the level of critical thinking in participants from each of the two programs. The instrument of measurement guiding this study is the model developed by Facione and Facione (1998). The design has been a comparative descriptive survey. The critical thinking abilities were measured by the CCTST, which was administered to 38 participants from the traditional curriculum and 65 from the case-based learning curriculum who agreed to participate in the study. When the scores were analyzed by using the independent sample 1- test, this study found that, in general, participants from both programs performed badly on the CCTST. Nevertheless, the CBL program participants performed significantly better when compared to the traditional program participants in all aspects of the CCTST. / Thesis (M.Cur.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2001.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / O objeto do presente estudo consiste nos papéis exercidos pelas instituições formadoras de profissionais de enfermagem, pelo mercado de trabalho e pelas entidades de classe da enfermagem no processo de profissionalização e de construção de sua identidade profissional. Este estudo tem por objetivo reescrever o processo de construção da identidade profissional da enfermagem a partir das discussões travadas pelos profissionais, nas instituições formadoras, acerca de sua especialização, a luz dos fatos sócio-históricos que desencadearam, ao longo do tempo, a passagem de uma enfermagem generalista para outra especialista. O trabalho discute o processo de profissionalização da enfermagem nas instituições formadoras tendo como pano de fundo as idéias clássicas da sociologia das profissões. Para ela, a enfermagem é vista coma uma semiprofissão, uma vez que não possui os quatro atributos fundamentais de uma verdadeira profissão: autonomia, corpo esotérico de conhecimentos, ideal de serviço e monopólio de saber e do fazer. Na tentativa de conquistar estes quatro atributos, ou alguns deles, para, então, ascender ao patamar de profissão, a enfermagem hoje vive um momento de transição na formação de seus profissionais: generalistas (tradicionais) ou especialistas (modernos). Em um outro aspecto, concluímos que, até o momento, o processo de legitimação, ou melhor, de construção social da identidade profissional da enfermagem especializada ainda não se consolidou, ou seja, as instituições formadoras, construtoras sociais do campo profissional da enfermagem, ainda não se definiram pela figura de um só perfil - generalista ou especialista - e, por isso, esta construção ainda encontra-se inacabada.