Semester

Spring

Date of Graduation

2006

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Type

EdD

College

College of Education and Human Services

Department

Curriculum & Instruction/Literacy Studies

Committee Chair

Richard Hartnett.

Abstract

This study assessed whether Maryland community college students who participated in the first semester of a nursing work-based learning clinical experience during the fall 2004 semester perceived that they developed basic workplace competencies necessary to work effectively in the workplace. The total population of the study consisted of 264 nursing students from eight Maryland Community Colleges. The research questions guiding this study were answered using descriptive statistics, t-tests, and an analysis of variance (ANOVA).;Major findings indicated that contrary to the hypothesis of the study, instead of showing a gain in competency scores, eight of nine workplace competencies decreased and three of the eight were significantly different. There was no significant differences between the pre-clinical and post-clinical scores of students from schools that reflected exemplary policies and procedures and schools that did not reflect exemplary policies and procedures. Within exemplary and non-exemplary schools analysis revealed that students from schools that did not reflect exemplary policies and procedures did show significant differences in their mean scores. Research showed that there were no significant differences in the students' competency scores based on each student's years of previous work experience. Significant differences were seen in the competency scores of students grouped by age. A significant difference was also seen between students with different levels of academic achievement. There were also significant differences seen between students based on the number of credits being awarded for the completion of the clinical experience. No significant differences were found between the mean scores based on the size of the student's institution. There was no significant difference found in the student's pre-clinical scores or post-clinical scores based on the number of nursing students enrolled in the student's nursing degree program.

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