J Nurs Acad Soc.  1972 Dec;3(1):53-66.

Study on Achievement of Nursing Students: Relationship between Psychological Test Characteristics and cademic Achievement of Nursing Students in a Baccalaureate Program

• Lee EO
• Lee ML

Abstract

There is an urgent need to improve the tool predicting success or failure of academic achievement of nursing in Korea so as to identify as early as possible those students who should receive special instruction and to improve screening- procedures for admission of nursing. The main purpose of this study is to identify the correlation between the grade point averages of courses learned and their psychological test characteristics in a baccalaureate nursing program. All 240 students, except freshmen, enrolled in Nursing Department of Seoul National University in the spring semester, 1972, participated in this study. All of the subjects completed the psychometric tests such as interest test, per- sonality test and test of self-concept. Total grade point averages, grade point averages of general education subjects, of supporting science courses and of pr- ofessional education subjects were used as performance criteria of the students. Through the calculation of product-moment correlation coefficients between the test scores and four grade point averages of each class and of total subjects, the following findings and recommendations were obtained. 1. There was so much variation in characteristics of interest test correlated with academic achievement of nursing students in each class. 2. Since the school objectives, curriculum and teaching strategies may affect predictive efficiency of characteristics of students' interest test, interest test must be utilized in a homogeneous group in order to predict school achivement. 3. Characteristics of interest test positively correlated at significant level with total grade point averages of all subjects were scientific interest-biological, scie- ntific interest-physical, and humanitarian interest. Scientific interest-physical was the only characteristic positively correlated at significant level with total grade point averages and grade point averages of professional courses. 4. There were various patterns in characteristics of personality test correlated with school achievement of nursing students by class pattern and personality maturation as they progress toward higher classes. 5. A characteristic of personality test, responsibility, is in high positive corre- lation with academic achievement in the upper division of classes. 6. Responsibility was the sole personality factor positively correlated at signif- icant level with total grade point averages and grade point averages of nursing courses in the total number of students. 7. There were very different correlation coefficients between characteristics of self-concept test and academic achievement according to the type of each class and type of courses they learned. 8. Characteristics of self-concept test positively correlated at significant level with total grade point averages and grade point averages of nursing courses of all students were physical self and row variability. Those who have positive concept on their own physical status and who are dificient in self-concept were higher in total grade point averages and grade point averages of professional courses than other students. 9. Scores of professional courses offered in freshmen and sophomore classes were in positive correlation with limited number of characteristics of psychological tests. In pursuit of a tool predicting successful academic achievement of nursing students, their G.P.A. during the junior and senior year of nursing will serve as the more reasonable criteria. 10. Junior students of this school were in higher positive correlation with many psychological factors than other classes.

MeSH Terms

Curriculum
Education
Humans
Korea
Nursing*
Personality Tests
Psychological Tests*
Psychology
Psychometrics
Seoul
Students, Nursing*