Sharon Andrew

Mixed methods research for nursing and the health sciences

Table of Contents . Foreword. Preface. Editors and contributors. Glossary. Section One: Preliminary Considerations . Chapter 1 Introduction to Mixed Methods Research for Nursing and the Health Sciences. Chapter 2 Does Mixed Methods Constitute A Change In Paradigm?. Chapter 3 Designs for Mixed Methods Research. Chapter 4 Managing Mixed Methods Projects. Section Two: Conducting Mixed Methods Research . Chapter 5 Data Collection in Mixed Methods Research. Chapter 6 Analysing Mixed Methods Data. Chapter 7 From Rigour to Trustworthiness: Validating Mixed Methods. Chapter 8 Reporting Mixed Methods Projects. . Section Three: Exemplars of Mixed Methods Research . Chapter 9 Mixed Methods Intervention Trials. Chapter 10 A Mixed Method Sequential Explanatory Study: Police Referrals to a Psychiatric Facility. Chapter 11 Action Research as a Mixed Methods Design: A Palliative approach in residential aged care. Chapter 12 Future Challenges for Mixed Methods Research in Nursing and the Health Sciences. Index...

Hate the course or hate to go: Semester differences in first year nursing attrition

Most of the attrition from nursing courses occurs in the first year of study. Devising university strategies to reduce attrition requires an understanding of why students leave. The aim of this study was to explore whether students who leave a nursing course in the first semester leave for the same or different reasons than students who leave in the second semester of study. Seventeen students who had left the course were interviewed by telephone: seven in the first semester and ten in the second. In the first semester, students who leave consider themselves unprepared for university, have competing roles outside university and develop a strong dislike of the nursing course. They decide quickly that the course is unsuitable and leave. Those who leave in second semester would prefer to stay but events in their life create a crisis where they can no longer cope with university studies. These students hope to return to nursing whereas students who leave in the first semester are unlikely to consider returning. Attempts to retain students in the first semester may be futile as these students may be unsuited or uncommitted whereas there is greater scope to retain those who leave in the second semester.

Academic engagement and disengagement as predictors of performance in pathophysiology among nursing students

Abstract Connecting students with learning activities to promote academic engagement has been a focus of higher education over the past decade, partly driven by an increasing rate of student participation in part-time employment, and a growing concern about the quality of the student experience. Using a prospective survey design, this study selected three elements of academic engagement (homework completion, lecture attendance, and study hours) and academic disengagement (part-time work), to identify predictors of academic performance in a pathophysiology subject in 126 second year nursing students. Homework completion emerged as the strongest positive predictor of academic performance, followed by lecture attendance; however, time spent studying was not a significant predictor of academic performance. Of concern was the finding that the amount of part-time work had a significant and negative impact on academic performance. Combining all elements of academic engagement and disengagement, and controlling for age and ethnicity, the multiple regression model accounted for 34% of the variance in the academic performance of second year nursing students studying pathophysiology. Results from these findings indicate the importance of active learning engagement in influencing academic success, and provide some direction for nursing academics to design effective learning approaches to promote academic engagement of nursing students.

Competency measurements : testing convergent validity for two measures

AIM This paper is a report of a study to investigate whether the Australian National Competency Standards for Registered Nurses demonstrate correlations with the Finnish Nurse Competency Scale. BACKGROUND Competency assessment has become popular as a key regulatory requirement and performance indicator. The term competency, however, does not have a globally accepted definition and this has the potential to create controversy, ambiguity and confusion. Variations in meaning and definitions adopted in workplaces and educational settings will affect the interpretation of research findings and have implications for the nursing profession. METHOD A non-experimental cross-sectional survey design was used with a convenience sample of 116 new graduate nurses in 2005. The second version of the Australian National Competency Standards and the Nurse Competency Scale was used to elicit responses to self-assessed competency in the transitional year (first year as a Registered Nurse). FINDINGS Correlational analysis of self-assessed levels of competence revealed a relationship between the Australian National Competency Standards (ANCI) and the Nurse Competency Scale (NCS). The correlational relation between ANCI domains and NCS factors suggests that these scales are indeed used to measure related dimensions. A statistically significant relationship (r = 0.75) was found between the two competency measures. CONCLUSION Although the finding of convergent validity is insufficient to establish construct validity for competency as used in both measures in this study, it is an important step towards this goal. Future studies on relationships between competencies must take into account the validity and reliability of the tools.

Trial and retribution: a qualitative study of whistleblowing and workplace relationships in nursing

Abstract This paper reports a study aiming to present and describe the effects of whistleblowing episodes on nurses’ workplace relationships. Eighteen participants with direct experience of whistleblowing were recruited into the study, which was informed by a qualitative narrative inquiry design. Findings were clustered into four main themes, namely: Leaving and returning to work—The staff don’t like you; Spoiled collegial relationships—Barriers between me and my colleagues; Bullying and excluding—They’ve just closed ranks; and, Damaged inter-professional relationships’I did lose trust in doctors after that. Findings suggest a need to facilitate a climate in which it is safe for nurses (and others) to raise concerns about patient care or organisational wrongdoing, and to eliminate the existing belief that whistleblowing is a negative act fuelled by revenge or sedition.

Mixed methods research is an effective method of enquiry for community health research

Abstract Rapid social change, the pressure of contemporary living, an aging population and an increase in chronic disease have a significant impact on community health. The complex issues underlying research into community health offer significant challenges to the researcher. The use of mixed methods research is growing in popularity in a range of disciplines, although its application is less well understood. This paper will outline the utility of mixed methods research for community health research and demonstrate how this methodology can be used to enhance the richness of data obtained.

Casualisation of the teaching workforce: Implications for nursing education

Internationally, nursing faculty shortages have been reported and there is a potential for them to worsen into the next decade as existing faculty age. To, in part, address this issue, across disciplines there is clearly an international trend towards the increasing casualisation of the higher education workforce. Despite the potential impact of this two-tiered workforce structure, there has been limited examination of the discipline specific issues related to the employment of a growing number of sessional nursing staff. This paper provides a critical review of the literature related to the employment of sessional teachers in higher education. The paper advances the discourse around the role and implications of employing sessional teachers in undergraduate nursing schools. Recommendations for supporting sessional staff and further research are presented.

If you haven't got a PhD, you're not going to get a job: The PhD as a hurdle to continuing academic employment in nursing

This paper is drawn from a larger study that sought to identify and examine issues around the employment of sessional academic staff in baccalaureate nurse education. Twelve sessional teachers and 12 continuing academics participated in the interviews. Examination of the data revealed the PhD was perceived as a hurdle to continuing employment in nurse education in the university sector. In the current climate, sessional teachers continue to be an essential part of the nursing academic workforce and are necessary to meet the teaching and learning demands associated with implementing nursing curricula. Findings suggest a need for scrupulous processes in relation to the recruitment of sessional staff, and highlight the difficulties that sessional teachers may have in securing continuing academic employment. We provide recommendations to facilitate the appointment of appropriate individuals into sessional roles and highlight the need to mentor and support sessional teachers wishing to pursue a career as nurse academics. Questions are raised about how nursing can plan for future academic workforce needs in a context of an aging academic workforce, the demand for doctoral training for nurse academics, and widespread casualisation of the nursing academic workforce.

Linguistic diversity as sociodemographic predictor of nursing program progression and completion

Abstract Attrition from undergraduate nursing programs continues to warrant investigation particularly in the climate of nursing shortages and fiscal reflection on academic institutional programs. This three-year study used a prospective longitudinal survey design to determine entry characteristics of students, attrition, progression and completion in an undergraduate program. Students were surveyed in the first three weeks of commencing their program and gave permission for academic grades to be collected during their six session, three year Bachelor of Nursing program. Of the 740 students enrolled 48% (357 students) were surveyed and 352 students (99%) gave consent for their grades to be collected. One-third of the student cohort graduated in the expected three-year timeframe, one-third had dropped out and one-third was still completing their studies. A higher Grade Point Average and being a native English speaker were most predictive of students completing their course in the minimum expected timeframe.

Integrating mixed methods data analysis using NVivo : an example examining attrition and persistence of nursing students

Abstract The use of mixed methods research is growing in popularity in a range of disciplines, although the literature provides few descriptions of the practical aspects of mixing qualitative and quantitative data in the one study. Perhaps the greatest complexity in mixed method research is achieving integration of qualitative and quantitative data. This paper explores how NVivo Version 2.0 was used to facilitate data analysis in a mixed methods study of student attrition and retention in a Bachelor of Nursing program. Quantitative data was initially entered into Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS™) Version 13.0 and the qualitative data was imported into NVivo. In the next stage attribute data for each participant was imported from SPSS™ into NVivo. The coded qualitative data were then explored for relationships with participants’ attribute profile (marital status, family support). The use of NVivo software proved to be beneficial in facilitating the synthesis of the mixed methods data and enriched the findings of the study by adding another dimension to the data. The lessons learnt from this experience will assist other researchers in investigating alternative tools for integrating mixed methods data.