Instructional preparation and performance of nursing educators / Aquelia N. Borden.

Thesis (Master in Nursing, major in Leadership in Nursing) -- Cebu Normal University, March 2009.

Title: Instructional Preparation and Performance of Nursing Educators
Author: Aquelia N. Borden, B.S.N., R.N.
School: Cebu Normal University
Degree: Masters in Nursing, Major in Leadership in Nursing
Adviser: Mr. Mauro Allan P. Amparado, R.N., M.B.A., M.A.N.

INTRODUCTION
This study has been anchored on the theory of configuration based on the Gestalt theory of learning. This study was made based on the observation that nursing educators in Asian College of Technology need to have further faculty development to enhance and improve their way of teaching. It is fact in most cases, nursing enter into the arena of higher education without knowing the methodologies of teaching and hence, they struggle hard to evolve their own method of teaching.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The study determined the instructional preparation and performance of nursing educators at Asian College of Technology for SY 2008-2009 as perceived by the nursing students. The finding of which were the bases for what faculty development programs can be proposed.

Specifically, the study sought to answer the following questions:
1. What is the profile of the clinical instructors in Asian College of Technology in terms of:
1.1. Age;
1.2. Gender;
1.3. Educational Qualification;
1.4. Relevant trainings;
1.5. Experience (teaching and hospital)?
2. What is the level of instructional preparation as perceived by the students?
3. What is the level of instructional performance of the nursing educators as rated by the Dean?
4. Is there a relationship between instructional performance and
4.1. Profile of Nursing Educators;
4.2. Instructional preparations.
5. Based on the findings of the study, what faculty development programs can be proposed?

STATEMENT OF NULL HYPOTHESIS
There is no relationship between the instructional performance and profile of the Nursing Educators.
There is no relationship between the instructional performance and instructional preparations.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
This study will be beneficial to the following:

Nursing Students. When they have teachers with good job performance and higher professional preparation, they can have effective learning and have opportunities to increase their knowledge and they will graduate highly capable and globally competitive.

School Administrators. This study can assess if the nursing educators render teaching services and possess credentials appropriate to the program levels in which they teach, as well as on relation to the service and scholarship mission of the school. In nursing, a master?s degree in the discipline is the minimum. They will have highly capable nursing graduates that would bring prestige to their institution because of the well prepared and very satisfactory performance of their nursing educators.

Dean of Nursing. It enables her to evaluate the nursing faculty on how far they are performing in their teaching duties.

Nursing Educators. As one of the nursing educators, it is their interest to determine the views and perception of the nursing students on the performance and preparation of their educators. At this early stage, the students? feedback will enable us, educators to do what is appropriate to make our graduates capable and globally competitive.

Commission on Higher Education. This study will serve them as a guide to monitor as to how the nursing educators in different nursing schools are performing.

Researcher. This study can improve her teaching preparation and performance towards her students in her institution.

Research Methodology
The research utilized the descriptive design, which determined the instructional preparation and performance of nursing educators at Asian College of Technology for SY 2008-2009 as perceived by the nursing students. Further, it determined the relationship between the instructional performance of the Nursing Educators and their profile as well as the relationship between instructional preparation and instructional performance. Respondents of this study were the nursing students of all levels in Asian College of Technology. Out of the total population of 365 students, only 318 respondents were achieved. Therefore, the respondents? population represents 87% of the entire nursing students? population. The subjects involved were the 5 nursing educators who are actually handling the major nursing subjects. This study was conducted at the College of Nursing of Asian College of Technology (ACT). To date, there are 11 existing nursing educators, 5 of them have already units earned in master?s education, whereas one of them just enrolled in master?s education, and only 5 of them have completed their units in master?s education. One nursing educator is going on 9 doctoral units in gerontologic nursing.
The researcher utilized the 15 item 4 point Likert Scale wherein 1 represents never prepared, 2 for sometimes prepared, 3 for often prepared, and 4 for always prepared of the instructional preparation of the nursing educators.
As for the instructional performance of the nursing educators, the data gathered are only secondary data taken from the Human Resource Department wherein the rater is the dean herself. In gathering the data, the researcher asked the permission with a formal letter from Cebu Normal University-Graduate School to the President of Asian College of Technology, through the Dean of Nursing, for an intensive practicum of not less than 50 hours. During the practicum period, the researcher determined the number of nursing students in Asian College of Technology and they were given the questionnaires. Out of 365 nursing students, only 318 questionnaires were collected since 47 students were absent from different levels when the questionnaires were distributed. The researcher conducted classroom observations for the nursing educators of all levels. There were 5 nursing educators involved as subjects of the study. Interviews to the students were also conducted by the researcher.

Summary of Findings

Majority of the nursing educators in Asian College of Technology are males and 24 years old. All of them are BSN graduates and majority is already master?s degree holder in nursing. Only 2 nursing educators have only earned masteral units in nursing.
As to the level of the nursing educators instructional preparation in facilities teaching methods, and supervision: the result is Always Prepared. The instructional performance of the nursing educators was Excellent.
Further, there is no significant relationship between instructional performance and profile of the nursing educators and there is a significant relationship in their instructional performance and instructional preparation.

Conclusion

Based on the findings of the study, the nursing educators have excellent instructional performance as perceived by the dean and are always prepared as perceived by students. The profile of the nursing educators has no bearing on their instructional performance and the perception of the nursing students in the instructional preparation of the nursing educators does not affect their instructional performance.

Recommendation

Based on the findings, the following recommendations are made:
1. Implement the proposed faculty programs for the nursing educators to maintain performance on the following areas of concern:
1.1 Absence of visual aids.
1.2 Guide questions are not prepared and distributed to students.
1.3 Objectives/course outline are not posted in the bulletin board.
1.4 Pretests are not conducted.
1.5 Attendance checking is not done before the start of the class.
2. PROPOSED TITLES
2.1 Preparation of Visual Aids
2.2 How to Prepare Guide Questions for Lecture Use
2.3 Formulation of Objectives/ Course Outline
2.4 The Importance of Pretest for Evaluation of Students
2.5 Class Record as a Tool for Class Attendance