Author

Denise Cauble

ORCID Identifier(s)

0000-0001-6526-1592

Graduation Semester and Year

2015

Language

English

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing

Department

Nursing

First Advisor

Patricia Thomas

Abstract

Persistence is an important measure of success for individual students and institutions of higher learning. The purpose of this study was to explore personal and academic factors that influence persistence in online graduate nursing students. A predictive correlational study design was used. Data were extracted from existing student records in two online graduate programs within a large, urban college of nursing. A sample size of 197 graduate nursing students was selected, 94 who persisted to graduation from their program within 36 months and 103 who did not. Age, gender, race/ethnicity, undergraduate GPA, undergraduate education (BSN or RN-BSN level) were examined as predictors of persistence in the two online graduate nursing programs. In this study, undergraduate GPA emerged as a predictor of persistence to graduation. It is evident that there are other significant factors that affect persistence that have yet to be determined. By identifying students’ characteristics of persistence, strategies can be developed to enhance success in online graduate nursing programs.

Keywords

Persistence, Nursing graduate students, Distance education

Disciplines

Medicine and Health Sciences | Nursing

Comments

Degree granted by The University of Texas at Arlington

25439-2.zip (427 kB)

Included in

Nursing Commons

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