D.Cur. / During the last decade there has been a surge of interest in quality issues in education. This is largely due to spiralling costs of education and political demands for accountability in public institutions. In South Africa, higher education institutions are now required by law (Higher Education Act No. 101 of 1997 and the South African Qualifications Act No. 58 of 1995) to introduce quality management in an attempt to assure quality ofboth the programmes and the education providers. The Nursing Colleges in Gauteng provide nursing education to nearly 2000 nurses and, as such, make the major contribution to providing for the quality of the health care services. The colleges therefore have a double reason for introducing quality improvement measures, which start with a system for monitoring the quality of the colleges. In this study a quality audit system has been developed to address this need. There is no comprehensive internal audit system, which allows for quantitative measurement and acts as an empowerment strategy for institutional quality improvement in the nursing colleges in South Africa. The following research questions are relevant: • what should an auditing system for nursing colleges comprise? • what are the indicators of quality in a nursing college? • is the auditing system trustworthy? The overall aim of the study was to develop an audit system for the nursing colleges in Gauteng. This aim was supported by the following objectives: Phase one: to conduct a value clarification of quality within the nursing colleges in Gauteng, as perceived by the internal and external customers. Phase two: to explore and describe a conceptual framework for a quality audit system for nursing colleges in Gauteng. Phase three: a. to develop a quality audit system for the nursing colleges in Gauteng b. To pilot the audit system in one nursing college in Gauteng. A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual design was conducted within the nursing colleges of Gauteng in order to develop a contextual framework and a quality audit system for the nursing colleges. The content validity was tested by means of quantitative methods. The audit system that was developed included a tool for auditing the quality of nursing colleges as a means to identifY conformance to standards, criteria and indicators and to improve the quality of the structure, processes and results ofthe organization. The standards were developed on the basis of a value clarification of internal and external customers. Clusters ofindicators were developed for each of the standards. The value of this study is that a comprehensive audit system has been developed which empowers the staffand students ofthe college to improve the quality ofthe college. The same system can be used for purposes of accreditation, as an accountability mechanism and for institutional recognition.

This study was concerned with the assessment of the andragogical-pedagogical orientation of nurse educators in associate degree, diploma, and baccalaureate schools of nursing. The principal objectives were to obtain valid data about nurse educators' attitudes toward adult education, to determine if the educational orientations of nurse educators differed from the educational orientation of other adult educators, and to determine if the nurse educators' educational orientation was affected significantly by certain background variables. Additionally, the study examined whether continuing education programs were needed to acquaint nurse faculty with theories of adult learning and whether theories of adult learning should be included in the curricula offerings for the preparation of teachers of nursing. The study was a survey of seventy nurse educators from each type of nursing program - associate degree, diplema, and baccalaureate - in Virginia for a total.of 210. The instruments used for data collection were a Supplemental Data Sheet to gather information on fourteen background variables which were thought to affect educational orientation and Hadley's Educational Orientation Questionnaire (EOQ). There were 171 responses of which 155 questionnaires and data sheets were usable. The criterion variable was educational orientat:ion as measured by the Educational Orientation Questionnaire and analyzed as a single mean score. The independent variables were educational background, type of employing institution, level of position, college credits earned in field of adult education, number of years in nursing practice, number of years in nursing education, geographic location of basic.nursing program, current appointment,,subject matter, preparation of syllabus, instructional setting, continuing education courses taught, attitude toward mandatory continuing education for relicensure, and pursuing advanced degree. The data were analyzed by t-test and the FREQUENCIES, ONEWAY and REGRESSION procedures of the Statistical Package for the .Social Sciences (SPSS). The data were presented descriptively and statistically. The most significant finding was that the nurse educators' mean score differed significantly (p≤0.001) from the mean score of other adult educators as reported by Hadley. The finding· indicated that nurse educators, as a group, are pedagogically oriented toward education. Analysis of variance revealed that the nurse educators' educational. orientation was affected significantly at the 0.05 level or better by type of employing institution, current appointment, instructional setting, and subject matter. Regression analysis showed that about 14% of the educational orientation score variance isi predictable using the four variables which showed a relationship to educational orientation. It was recommended that nurse educators adopt an andragogical approach to nursing education rather than pedagogical. In order to accomplish this it was also recommended that theories of adult learning and strategies for implementing those theories be introduced through a vigorous program of workshops and conferences for practicing teachers. Courses in adult education should be included in the curricular offerings for teacher preparation at the graduate level. Recommendations for further study included a comparative study among students, faculty, and administrators' education. orientations: andragogical or pedagogical, and that each faculty study its educational orientation in relation to the stated philosophy and objectives of the school. / Ed. D.

The purpose of this study was to investigate job satisfaction among full-time faculty members of nursing colleges in Thailand, by using the Faculty Job Satisfaction /Dissatisfaction Scale developed by Olin R. Wood. The investigation was based on the ten factors of job satisfaction selected from the Herzberg Motivation-Hygiene theory as follows: achievement, growth, interpersonal relations, policy and administration, recognition, responsibility, salary, supervision, work itself, and working conditions. The questionnaire consisted of 68 items, using a six-point rating scale for ten factors of job satisfaction. The population consisted of 621 full-time nursing faculty members in twenty-one nursing colleges across the country of Thailand. A total of 408 nursing faculty members or 65.70 percent of the population participated in this study. Frequencies, percentage, one-way ANOVA, two-way ANOVA, regression analysis, and coefficience of concordance W. were used in the follow-up investigation, with the level of significance at .05.

The purpose of this study was to produce functional criteria that could be used for the initial selection, reappointment and promotion of faculty in baccalaureate schools of nursing. The establishment of the criteria was derived from a tentative criteria that was developed from seventeen research questions. The review of nursing and related literature was conducted to focus on and to justify the tentative criteria. It was presented under the following categories: faculty selection, reappointment and promotion; academic preparation of nurse faculty; nursing research; and continuing education in nursing. The data indicated that a master's degree in a clinical nursing specialty is the minimum academic preparation for faculty in baccalaureate schools of nursing. There was a strong indication from the data that a doctoral degree in nursing will be the expected future academic preparation of collegiate nursing faculty. Continuing education, research, publication, and community service were given a high priority as criteria for reappointment and promotion. The criterion regarding work experience during the summer in a clinical practice setting is currently not given consideration, if any, for reappointment and promotion. However, it was given more consideration as one of the criteria that should be utilized in reappointment and promotion.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The lack of theory-practice integration has a long-standing history in nursing education due to many factors and causes. It is continuously indicated in research studies that there is no easy or perfect solution. The causes for this theory-practice gap seem to be in the theoretical and/or clinical environment. In literature teaching methods are identified as one of the most important causes of the theory-practice gap. In view of the informal feedback received from nurse educators and nursing managers it was necessary to investigate the lack of theory-practice integration. The aim of the study was thus to explore in which respects current teaching methods utilised by nurse educators at a higher education institution comply or do not comply with teaching methods suggested in literature as essential for theory-practice integration. An exploratory descriptive research design was used to investigate the nature of the teaching methods utilised by nurse educators facilitating theoretical learning. Questionnaires were sent to nurse educators and student nurses registered for the Diploma in General Nursing Science programme. The questionnaire that mainly consisted of closed questions was used to collect and analyse the data. The data were generated at four learning sites of a higher education institution. The validity of the results was verified by an observer in the field for which a structured checklist was used. Results indicated that a wide spectrum of teaching methods were utilised by the nurse educators and that the student nurses had limited internet access at the learning centres. Eight (8) teaching methods, complying with teaching methods identified by literature as essential to enhance theorypractice integration, were used. However, it was evident that formal lectures were overused. It raises concerns as this method does not comply with teaching methods essential to enhance theory-practice integration. In fact, it limits the students’ ability to develop critical thinking and is seen as one of the possible causes of the theory-practice gap. Feedback relating to the teaching aids used showed that the data projector with PowerPoint slides, whiteboard and textbooks were the three teaching aids used most frequently. According to literature, the overuse of textbooks is generally viewed as the starting point of the theory-practice gap. The results of this study imply that an increased awareness and training of nurse educators regarding their teaching methods may increase their teaching and facilitation skills. It seems to be the nurse educator’s responsibility to ensure that teaching methods are used that are essential to enhance theory-practice integration and it is the responsibility of management at any higher educational institution to ensure that the necessary educational and information technology resources are available. It is recommended that further studies be conducted to determine whether nurse educators do indeed apply the teaching methods effectively to narrow the theory-practice gap. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die gebrek aan teorie-praktyk integrasie in verpleegkunde het ‘n lang gekiedenis in verpleegonderwys as gevolg van verskeie faktore en oorsake. Navorsing toon deurgaans dat daar nie ‘n maklike of perfekte oplossing vir hierdie probleem is nie. Die oorsake vir die teorie-praktyk gaping kan teoretiese en/of klinies van aard wees. Onderrigmetodes word deur navorsing as een van die belangrikste oorsake vir die teorie-praktyk gaping aangedui. Die informele terugvoer van dosente en verpleegdiensbestuurders het getoon dat teorie- en praktyk integrasie nie voldoende is nie. Dit was dus noodsaaklik om die onderrigmetodes van dosente in verpleegkunde te ondersoek. Die doel van die studie was om te bepaal tot watter mate die huidige onderrigmetodes van die dosente wat verbonde is aan ‘n hoër onderrig instelling voldoen of nie voldoen nie aan onderrigmetodes wat in literatuur aangedui word as essensieël vir die bevordering van teorie-praktyk integrasie. In hierdie studie is beskrywende en ondersoekende navorsingsmetodes gebruik om die onderrigmetodes van die dosente in verpleegkunde te ondersoek. Vraelyste is uitgestuur na dosente en student-verpleegkundiges wat besig is met die Diploma in Algemene Verpleegkunde. Die vraelys, wat hoofsaaklik geslote vrae bevat het, is gebruik om die nodige data te versamel en te analiseer. Die data is by vier van die hoër onderrig instellings se leersentrums versamel. Die geldigheid van die resultate is geverifieër deur ‘n waarnermer in die veld wat ‘n gestruktureerde kontrolelys vir hierdie doel gebruik het. Die resultate het getoon dat ‘n wye spektrum van onderrigmetodes deur die dosente in verpleegkunde gebruik is en dat die student verpleegkundiges beperkte internet toegang by die leersentrums het. Van die literatuur geïdentifiseerde onderrigmetodes wat as essensieël vir die bevordering van teorie-praktyk integrasie is, het die dosente agt (8) metodes gebruik. Dit was duidelik dat formele lesings grootliks oorbenut is. Dit is kommerwekkend aangesien die lesingmetode nie voldoen aan die onderrigmetodes wat essensieël is vir die bevordering van teorie-praktyk integrasie nie. Inteendeel, die metode beperk studente se vermoë om kritiese denke te ontwikkel en word beskou as een van die moontlike oorsake vir die teorie-praktyk gaping. Die resultate het verder getoon dat die meeste onderrighulpmiddels wat gebruik is, is die data-projektor met PowerPoint skyfies, die witbord en handboeke. Die oorbenutting van handboeke word algemeen in literatuur beskou as die beginpunt van die teorie-praktyk gaping. Die studieresultate impliseer dat ‘n toenemende bewusmaking en opleiding van die dosente in verpleegkunde ten opsigte van hul onderrigmetodes moontlik onderrig- en fasiliteringsvaardighede kan bevorder. Dit blyk dat dit individuele dosente se verantwoordelikheid is om te verseker dat die essensiële onderrigmetodes vir die bevordering van teorie-praktyk integrasie gebruik word en dit is die bestuur van enige hoër onderrig instelling se verantwoordelikheid om te verseker dat die nodige opvoedkundige- en informasietegnologie beskikbaar is. Dit word aanbeveel dat verdere studies gedoen word om vas te stel of dosente in verpleegkunde onderrigmetodes effektief aanwend ten einde die teorie-praktyk gaping te verklein.

Thesis (MTech (Engineering))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2008. / The Peninsula Technikon and Cape Technikon merged at the beginning of 2005 and became the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT). The University consists of six faculties, namely the faculty of: Applied Sciences, Business Studies, Education, Engineering, Health and Wellness Sciences, and Informatics and Design. The high failure rate in the undergraduate nursing course in the faculty of Health and Wellness Science at CPUT, mooted this research due to the devastating impact student failure has on society as a whole. The academic selection criteria and its impact on throughput rates in particular as it pertains to undergraduate nurses enrolled for the 4 year B.Tech qualification, will become the subject of research scrutiny. Descriptive research will be conducted in this dissertation, which will take place in the social world, will be theoretical in nature using both phenomenological and positivistic research paradigms. Case study research will serve as the research method

The problem with which this study is concerned is the inclusion of actual critical care experience in generic nursing curricula in the United States. A survey instrument was sent to faculty representatives selected by the dean of each of 312 generic baccalaureate nursing programs.

Health Studies / M.A. (Health Studies)

Administration and faculty are now being held accountable for the learning process in educational programs at the institutional level. The purpose of this study was to describe and compare baccalaureate graduates' perceptions of Ball State University School of Nursing's education program and employers' perceptions of those graduates. This study also examined graduates demographic characteristics such as, personal information, education, professional practice, and professional activities. Stufflebeam's (1966) CIPP Model for evaluation was utilized as a theoretical framework. A convenience sample of all graduates of 19881990 one year after graduation and 1986-1987 graduates five years after graduation and employers willing to participate completed the questionnaires and/or demographic sheet. The perceptions of graduates towards Ball State University School of Nursing's educational programs and employers'perceptions towards the graduates were examined in descriptive design.A list of names was received from Ball State University's Alumni Office. Questionnaires were coded and mailed with a cover letter and a stamped, self-addressed envelope.All participants were informed of rights as human subjects and the confidentiality of this study. A cover letter informed subjects of procedures, risks, and benefits. Ball State University's Institutional Review Board granted permission to conduct the study.The findings of this study of one and five year postgraduates lead to the general conclusion that Ball State University's baccalaureate nursing program has been successful. These findings are consistent with those found in the literature. In general, the graduates expressed satisfaction with all aspects of the baccalaureate nursing education.The findings from the instrument to measure employers' perceptions (one and five years after graduation) were positive. Approximately three fourths of employers indicated the graduates functioned at above expected levels in regards to communication, nursing, leadership skills, andprofessionalism. The graduates had a successful transition into practice, and employers were satisfied with the graduates' performances. / School of Nursing

The study analyzed burnout of nursing faculty to determine the frequency, intensity, and predictors of burnout. Christian Maslach's burnout questionnaire, Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), and a demographic data survey were used to measure burnout. A random selection of 250 nursing faculty was mailed both a burnout questionnaire and a demographic data survey. There were 192 useable responses that were used in the study. Each questionnaire and demographic data survey were reviewed for completeness and rechecked for accurate data entry. The results were presented in summary tables. Data analysis included frequency, means, Pearson r, and downward, stepwise regression analyses. There was a high frequency and intensity of burnout in all nursing faculty, as measured in the three MBI subscales (depersonalization, emotional exhaustion, and personal accomplishment). There was a significant relationship between the number of hours nursing faculty spend with academic advising and the intensity of emotional exhaustion. None of the demographic data, except hours spent in academic advising, were a predictor of burnout.