Power perceptions of Black nursing faculty

The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptions of Black nursing faculty members to the concept of power. This study sought to answer the question: How do Black nursing faculty members perceive power and how are they oriented toward power? The Cavanaugh Power Orientation Scale (1978) was used to survey a random sample of 100 Black nursing faculty members obtained from a national listing. The data were analyzed using descriptive methods of measurement, factor analysis, Pearson Correlation Coefficients and analysis of variance. An analysis of the data show that factors did not load of the same variables as had been shown in Cavanaugh's study. The presentation will discuss the descriptive data and the scores obtained on each of the six factors. It is important to understand the perceptions that Black nursing faculty members have about the concept of power because these are the ideas and behaviors which may be promulgated by the nursing student.