This study sought to identify nursing competencies most associated with good nursing practice in Critical Access Hospitals. The Delphi panel for this study consisted of seven rural health nurse experts who were currently employed as a Director of Nursing in a Critical Access Hospital. A survey instrument was developed for each of the three Delphi rounds. The Round One instrument consisted of two open-ended focus questions. The four classification headings used for the identified competencies included Clinical/Technical Skills, Critical Thinking Skills, Communication/Interpersonal Skills, and Management/Organizational Skills. The Round Two survey instrument was a compilation of the competencies received from the Round One instrument. The panelists were asked to rate the competency utilizing anchored scale. The Round Three survey instrument was dissimilar for each participant. The panel member was asked to rate the competency within one scale interval of the median or place their unique Round Two rating in this column and indicate why they believed their rating was more realistic. In the first round, a total of 149 competencies were submitted by the panel. These competencies were consolidated into 101 unique competencies. At the completion of the Round Two survey, one item was added and two competencies were combined into one competency. The third and final round resulted in a group consensus ranging from 71% to 100% on a total of 102 competencies. This research identified competencies unique to the Critical Access Hospital rural environment utilizing the Delphi approach. Nurses practicing in the rural setting are viewed more as generalists as opposed to specialists. Specific nursing areas including hospital nursing administration and nursing education can utilize the results of this study in planning for and promoting competent nursing practice in the rural environment. The researcher recommended additional studies that would further exemplify the uniqueness of rural nursing.

This research effort was intended to determine the perceived value that continuing professional education has on the careers or practices of certified public accountants licensed in Louisiana. A researcher designed survey incorporated both Likkert type scale responses and open ended questions. The survey was electronically administered to the membership of the Louisiana Society of Certified Public Accountants. The survey focused on the perceived value of and attitudes toward continuing professional education, as well as the desirability of specific methods of delivery. The results of the survey indicated that certified public accountants believe continuing professional education has value. The results also show that certified public accountants have a positive attitude towards continuing professional education. In addition, certified public accountants considered themselves an expert or having an area of specialization in accounting. Two methods of delivery were perceived to be desirable based on two dimensions, effectiveness and preference. Both methods of delivery, Practical workshops in which there is hands-on learning, and Small group tutorial sessions that are interactive between the expert and the audience rated Somewhat on a five point scale including Not at all effective/ preferred, Not very effective/ preferred, Dont know/Neutral, Somewhat effective/preferred, Very effective/preferred. Although age and years in practice were two factors found to be significant between certified public accountants that are employed in public accounting and those certified public accountants in non-public employment, no other categories were found to be significant. In addition, no difference in perception about continuing professional education exists between certified public accountants that consider themselves an expert or have an area of specialization and those certified public accountants that do not have an area of expertise in accounting.

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the influence of selected demographic and psychological characteristics on the academic achievement of students enrolled in an undergraduate human anatomy course at a research-extensive university in the Southern region of the United States. As health care in the United States becomes increasingly strained due to a decreasing ratio of health care workers, educating more students to fill this gap has become a societal issue. Human anatomy forms the foundation of all health care professions. From the molecular to the macroscopic, anatomy provides a unique and necessary perspective of the human body. This material is necessary for a base of knowledge in medical professions. Thus, the need exists for higher education to identify reasons students succeed or fail in the capstone course of human anatomy. This studys population was defined as undergraduate students enrolled in a semester-long human anatomy course at a research-extensive university in the fall 2005 and spring 2006 semesters. Data were collected using three researcher-designed instruments based on the literature and course documents. A significantly positive relationship was found between self-efficacy and final grades received in human anatomy. Using regression analysis, college grade point average and self-efficacy were found to account for 7.2% of the variance in final grades of the students in human anatomy. The researcher concluded that self-efficacy can be used as a predictor of final grades in human anatomy. Therefore; the researcher recommended further research to measure levels of self-efficacy at intervals throughout a semester. By doing so, students whose self-efficacy is low can be identified and interventions implemented to aid student success. Interventions recommended were peer tutoring, smaller class size, academic support from the university, and more interaction between students and faculty. Additional recommendations were for higher education administration, educators, and enrollment managers to collectively find ways to help dispel some of the academic angst in future students.

Studies have demonstrated the benefits of mentoring as a successful intervention for youth in programs such as Big Brothers and Big Sisters. Limited research is available which describes the experiences of the mentors who participate in a program specifically for youth with disabilities. Youth with disabilities experience unique challenges as they work towards academic goals and independent living. Findings from this study will provide a insight into the lived experiences from the mentors perspective. <br><br> The methodology used for this study was a single interview with five adult mentors of youth with disabilities. Qualitative interviews were conducted with each mentor to describe their lived experience of participation in the mentoring program. Mentors were recruited from Partners for Youth with Disabilities (PYD) in Boston, Massachusetts. Mentors were asked about the process of recruitment, mentor-youth match characteristics, activities, training and support (from program administrators), benefits to the mentor and challenges encountered. <br><br> Findings from this study indicate the primary source of recruitment of mentors was through staff and organizational affiliation. The mentors-mentees match process including similar interests, disability and geographic proximity should continue. Further exploration is needed about utilization of training and support. Mentors in this study rarely attended PYDs events. The mentors initiated the majority of communication and activity planning. Mentees needs at various ages generated different responses and challenges. Overall, the mentors found their mentoring involvement mutually beneficial. <br><br> One unexpected discovery was the length of the mentoring relationships for these mentor participants far exceeded the national averages. Mentors were involved with mentees from three and twelve years. <br><br> Implications would indicate further studies with mentors and mentees with disabilities. The unique nature of the needs in their relationship needs to be explored to provide mentoring programs administrators, mentors and funding sources information to develop and support successful relationships.

The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to describe rural care Registered Nurses interpretation of health literacy and its effect on patient care. Individuals who do not understand their disease and have poor management skills are at risk for low health literacy. The consequences of limited health literacy are poor healthcare outcomes and higher healthcare costs. Implications from this study are useful in educating practicing Registered Nurses in the development of the necessary skills to empower patients to actively participate in their healthcare. Education about health literacy should begin in grades Kindergarten through 12th, with the primary focus being on the development a personal definition of health and wellness. A phenomenological lens was used to examine the data collected in this study. Interviews were conducted with Registered Nurses working in a rural acute care setting. Data analysis was conducted according to Moustakass (1994), Van Kaam Method. The following themes emerged: health literacy, relationships, participatory decision-making, and empowerment. Findings from this study revealed that rural care Registered Nurses had limited knowledge of health literacy and were not aware of available health literacy assessment tools. Most of the participants in this study utilized nurse developed tools which assessed the literacy level of patients instead of health literacy and thus influenced their relationships with their patients. The majority of participants did not have an understanding of the essential relationship that exists between a patients health literacy and the patients participation in their own healthcare. There were limited examples that nurses were encouraging their patients to engage in participatory decision-making. Therefore empowerment of patients did not emerge from the study. Additional qualitative and quantitative research studies are needed in rural and urban healthcare settings which explore practicing Registered Nurses understanding of health literacy. Replication of this phenomenological study is essential in the urban acute care setting in order to determine if the findings of this study are consistent. Future research is also needed to evaluate the nurse-patient relationship in terms of health literacy, participatory decision-making and empowerment.

The purpose of this study was to compare academic achievement of high school students in Louisiana by whether or not they are identified as an agriscience education student. The rationale for the study is to determine if agriscience education contributes to the academic achievement of high school students. The Louisiana Educational Assessment Program (LEAP) Graduate Exit Exams were used to measure academic achievement. All graduate exit exam test scores for the 2004-2005 school year were utilized for the study. The data for this study came from the Louisiana Department of Education. The study described all 10th and 11th grade students completing the various graduate exit exams by age, grade level, gender, ethnicity, 504 status, socioeconomic status, and whether or not they were agriscience education students. The study also described the performance of 10th and 11th grade students on the science, English language arts, social studies, and mathematics Graduate Exit Exams. The study compared academic achievement of agriscience education students with that of non-agriscience education students in the areas of science, social studies, ELA, and mathematics. These comparisons revealed that although there were statistically significant differences in scores in many areas, the effect size of each of these areas was either small or of low practical significance. Statistically significant models were found explaining a portion of variance in scores on science, ELA, social studies, and mathematics GEEs. All of these models had either moderate or large effect sizes. Being an agriscience education student had a statistically significant positive impact on student academic achievement. Even though these findings were statistically significant, they had low practical significance.

The purpose of this study was to explore the affects of an academic advising system, the Academic Concept Mapping (ACM) instrument, on academic performance of first-semester freshmen enrolled in a four year public university in the South, during fall 2006. The California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTDI®), a Likert-type instrument, was administered to 258 students enrolled in 12 sections (six treatment, six control) of a freshman seminar class to determine if ACM participation made a difference in scores by group type. As an additional measure, an ACM quiz was administered to all students in the ACM study. Three instructors participated, following a model much like the Solomon 4-group design, each having two treatment and two control group sections. Class sections were randomly assigned to the instructors after students registered, and were then randomly assigned a group type. The study sample approximated the overall composition of entering freshman, with a slightly higher proportion of black students in the sample. The sample consisted of more females than males, more white students than minorities, ACT composites around 20, and hours enrolled around 14. Students were of traditional age, most working part-time, most living at home or on-campus, spent little time reading, socialized most nights of the week, watched television approximately two hours each day, worried about bills, and rated their study skills as good or needing improvement. Primary college funding was from external sources rather than from parents or from self. ACM participation was significantly associated with semester grade point average, progression, and persistence. Students in the treatment group had higher ACM quiz scores, earned higher grade point averages, completed more of their classes, and persisted at a higher rate. ACM study participation, ACM quiz scores, ACT composite, gender, worry about bills, and reading were included in multiple regression analysis, explaining a little over 35% of the variance in semester grade point average. ACM quiz scores, ACT composite, and gender accounted for approximately 11% of the variability in the percentage of semester hours successfully completed, and ACM study participation was the sole predictor of persistence in the university (roughly 6%) using a logistic regression model.

This study investigated the technological development of e-faculty at five randomly selected Carnegie classified (2006) Doctorate-Granting Research Universities with very high research activity (RU/VH) in the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB). The majority of e-faculty report that they do not have release time/reduced teaching load for preparing web-based materials/courses, nor do they have graduate or teaching assistants available for assisting with web-based learning. However, a little over half of them reported having instructional designers or curriculum developers to help with the designing of web-based materials and a large majority reported having adequate institutional research resources (library holdings that are accessible by web and technical support). E-faculty reported that student technical support resources are offered in almost all cases and over two-thirds (76.35%) reported that those resources were offered seven days a week. The technical support resources for e-faculty were also offered in almost all cases, but only 63.77% reported the resource was available to them seven days a week. A large majority of e-faculty report that they do not receive sources of funding for e-learning course technology training/conferences. However, almost half of them (44.50%) report that the funding that they receive for e-learning technology events/work is adequate. The self-learning subconstructs of the BISL© describe e-faculty most of the time. E-faculty perceive that they have moderate technology knowledge, good teaching self-efficacy and minor technology anxiety. Three variables, technology anxiety, self-efficacy and perceived level of support explain a large amount of the variance (over half) in perceived technology knowledge of e-faculty. Therefore, as technology anxiety decreases and self efficacy and perceived level of support increase, the perceived technology knowledge of e-faculty increases.

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the influence of the extent of agreement with the principles of Confucian philosophy on the learning preferences of students enrolled in a research extensive university in the southern region of the United States. This study also compared the extent of agreement with the Confucian philosophy and the extent of preferences for learning methods by cultural background (as defined by nonresident Far East Asians from Confucian-influenced countries, Asian Americans, and White Americans) of enrolled students. The researcher used survey methodology to determine the current level (extent to which the subjects agreed with the principles) of Confucian philosophy and to describe the current preferences for learning of the students. Exploratory factor analysis was used to summarize the information regarding the 581 university students' levels of agreements with 45 statements of Confucian and their preferences for 33 learning methods. Pearson's correlation, one-way ANOVA, and independent t-test were utilized to determine whether an association exists between the levels of Confucian philosophy (as well as the preferences for learning methods) and selected demographic characteristics. Three key conclusions emerged from the study. One, there are different levels of adults' agreement on the values of Confucian philosophy and, as the students agreed more with the philosophy, the higher preferences for individual learning, passive/traditional learning, active learning, and group learning methods. Two, age, gender, nationality, lengths of time working inside and outside of the U.S., and academic status influenced the students' values of Confucian philosophy and preferences for learning methods. Three, a universal agreement on the values of Confucian harmonious relationship and a universal preference for alternative learning methods were found (regardless of students' cultural background, length of time working in the U.S., and academic status). It is recommended that human resource development professionals, adult educators, trainers, and training designers use this study to understand the cultural difference between Westerners and Confucian adult learners and to develop and manage appropriate training programs that create culturally relevant approaches to learning while addressing the students' preferences for learning methods.

Many researchers have examined the effect of truancy and student achievement. However, there has been little or no focus on the effect of truancy and non-attendance among ethnic minorities. The current study examined how African American students learning styles and their perceptions of teachers attitudes toward them and the learning environment influenced their decision to become high truants. Additionally, the study sought to find if selected demographic factors had any relevance on the truancy rate of African American students. The researcher used several assessment instruments to measure the variables being tested. The Index of Learning Styles Questionnaire (ILS), developed by Richard M. Felder and Barbara A. Soloman at North Carolina State University, was used to determine the preferred learning styles of African American students. The researcher designed instrument consisted of three parts. The first section, demographics, was used to measure descriptive interests for the researcher. The second section was used to gather data on truancy status. The third section was a 15-item questionnaire used to determine students perception of teachers attitudes toward them and the learning environment. The sample included 166 9th grade African American students enrolled in freshmen English classes in a public school located in a low socioeconomic inner-city in the southern region of the United States. Descriptive statistics, Cronbachs alpha estimates for reliability, and multiple regression analysis were the analysis methods used in the study. The results from the analysis suggest that students with low grade point averages; those who had siblings who left school without receiving a high school diploma; those who had been in legal troubles; those who were not involved in clubs/organizations; and gender in relation to females were more likely to be truant. The variable grade point averages was found to be the most significant with the dependent variable unexcused days missed. The variables together explained 32.5% of the variance in the dependent variable.