Values of entering nursing students: changes over 10 years

Area of Science:

• Social Sciences
• Psychology
• Nursing Education

Background:

• Student values evolve over time, influencing professional choices.
• Understanding the values of nursing students is crucial for educational and retention strategies.
• Previous research indicated different value hierarchies in earlier decades.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the values of nursing students from 1972 and 1982.
• To identify shifts in core values among individuals entering the nursing profession.
• To contextualize current student values within historical trends.

Main Methods:

• Comparative analysis of two distinct student cohorts (1972 and 1982).
• Utilized the Allport-Vernon-Lindzey Study of Values and an Entering Resources inventory.
• Data collected from 309 students in 1972 and 161 students in 1982.

Main Results:

• The 1982 cohort demonstrated significantly higher economic values (p < .01) compared to the 1972 cohort.
• No significant differences were found in other measured values between the two groups.
• Social values were ranked highest by both 1972 and 1982 nursing students.
• Religious values ranked second in 1982, down from third in 1972.

Conclusions:

• Nursing student values show a trend towards increased economic orientation over a decade.
• Social values remain paramount, but their relative importance may be shifting.
• These findings contrast with earlier studies from the 1960s, highlighting evolving societal influences on future nurses.