PREDICTORS OF SUCCESS IN COURSES FOR NURSES REQUIRING A DEGREE OF SELF-DIRECTION

This study sought to identify characteristics and experiences that were indicators of success in courses that required a degree of self-direction in learning. Data were collected from 121 nurses enrolled in 17 home study courses. The course content and evaluation tools were designed to be of similar difficulty for each of the courses offered. The course grade furnished the criterion variable. Predictor variables included information obtained from the Biographical Data Questionnaire and the Self-Directed Learning Readiness Instrument. The predictor variables were grouped into four main categories: (a) personal, educational, and employment characteristics; (b) motivation for enrolling in and completing the course; (c) orientation toward, and experience with self-directed learning; and (d) self-directed learning readiness. The null hypotheses, tested at the 0.05 level, were: (1) that there is no relationship between final grade received in a home study course and the variables relating to personal, educational, and employment characteristics; and (2) that motivation for involvement in, orientation toward, and experience with self-directed learning, and learner readiness was not related to final grade earned. The following statistical treatments were conducted on the data: (a) reliability studies for the 17 home study courses; (b) correlations measured the relationship between the predictor variables and the criterion variable; and, (c) multiple regression computed the relationship between sets of predictor variables and test scores. Reliability studies found lower coefficients than had been reported. Since the relationships were not significant at the 0.05 level of significance, the null hypotheses were not rejected. Sample characteristics were congruent with those described by researchers for self-directed adult learners. Subjects viewed themselves as self-directed learners and highly motivated to complete the course. Results of the study may have been affected by the inclusion of technical and professional nurses in one sample group; a sample highly motivated for completion; low reliability for the posttests; and a sample who answered most items correctly, which could limit possible correlation between the criterion and predictor variables.