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Published on: June 21, 2010
Academic predictors of success in a nursing program
Amanda A Wolkowitz1, Jeffrey A Kelley
1Psychometrician, Assessment Technologies Institute, 7520 West 160th Street, Stilwell, KS 66085, USA. awolkowitz@atitesting.com
The Journal of Nursing Education
|June 1, 2010
Summary
Science coursework is the strongest predictor of early success in nursing school. This finding impacts admissions and curriculum development for registered nurse programs nationwide.
Area of Science:
- Nursing Education
- Educational Psychology
Background:
- Academic performance significantly influences nursing program admission and student success.
- Identifying key predictors is crucial for effective student placement and support.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the predictive strength of science, mathematics, reading, and English on early nursing program success.
- To apply a multiple regression model to analyze student entrance examination subtest scores.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a standardized nursing entrance examination with 4,105 registered nurse students.
- Employed a multiple regression model to assess four academic content areas.
- Used a standardized Fundamentals of Nursing assessment as the criterion variable.
Main Results:
- Science was identified as a statistically significant predictor of early nursing program success.
- Science demonstrated the strongest predictive power among the four academic areas examined.
- Results align with existing literature on academic predictors in nursing education.
Conclusions:
- Science proficiency is paramount for success in the initial stages of nursing education.
- Findings support the emphasis on science in nursing school admissions and curriculum.
- Further research can explore other contributing factors to nursing student success.
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