This study determined changes and relationships among the correlates of a nursing associate degree: self-esteem; locus of control; trait, state, and test anxiety; critical thinking ability; and academic achievement. The study determined what direction and strength changes occurred within these variables as students progressed through a nursing program. Variable differences and relationship changes associated with gender and age for five classes of community college nursing students were examined over a two-year period of time.
Completing students experienced many significant positive changes in self-esteem, locus of control orientation, state and trait anxieties, debilitative and facilitative test anxieties, and academic achievement. A negative relationship occurred between global self-esteem and self-acceptance self-esteem. No significant demographic differences occurred in relation to gender, campus, class affiliation, or age. Significant differences occurred between completing and dropped students for admission grade point average, cumulative grade point average, and the first nursing course final grade, as well as differences among the five classes' admission grade point averages. Several significant changes were obtained in self-esteem, locus of control, state and trait anxieties, debilitative and facilitative test anxieties, and academic achievement for female and male participant groups. After comparing the correlational matrices, significant weak relationships were identified among variables for male participants, all involving self-acceptance self-esteem and either global self-esteem, state anxiety, or trait anxiety. No significant changes in students' critical thinking abilities occurred.
Implications for practice and future research topics involved developing diverse teaching strategies, curriculum design, strategies to decrease students' anxiety levels, and increasing internal locus of control and critical thinking abilities.
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