In order to be successful in graduate school, nursing students must have the ability to communicate effectively in writing. Written goal statements are often required as part of the graduate nursing admissions process. It is not known to what extent these written goal statements reflect an applicant’s ability to write logically and coherently. Using Classical Learning Theory (Connectionism, n.d.), students should be able to make a “connection” between the specific requirements of an admission goal statement and the more abstract writing required in graduate level courses. As a result, students who demonstrate a high quality of writing (QOW) on their admission goal statements should be expected to perform well in graduate level writing courses. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between admission goal statement QOW and final grades in a first semester graduate level writing-intensive nursing theory course. Currently enrolled graduate students at one large Midwestern school of nursing comprised the study sample (N=120). The QOW for each applicant’s admission goal statement was evaluated using criteria developed by the investigators that resulted in a score ranging from 3-12. The goal statements were evaluated by each of the study’s investigators; inter-rater reliability was high (t=-.779, p=.438, df=108). Final nursing theory grades were obtained from the study investigator who taught the courses. To examine the relationship between applicant QOW and nursing theory grade, a correlation was calculated (r=.489, p < .01, r2=.239). The findings of this study support the notion that admission goal statements are reasonable predictors of writing ability during graduate level coursework. Additional implications related to the use of written goal statements for graduate admission purposes will be explored.
Session #1170 - Nursing Education: Curriculum
The 29th Annual MNRS Research Conference (April 1-4, 2005)