The relationship between reading comprehension skill assessment methods and academic success for first semester students in a selected Bachelor of Science in Nursing program in Texas
Year: 2007
Type: dissertation
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: This retrospective descriptive study addressed the relationship between reading\ncomprehension skills as measured by the Nelson-Denny Reading Test and the Nurse\nEntrance Test and indices of academic success (i.e., grade point average of prerequisite\nscience courses and overall grade point average) prior to admission for students in a\nBachelor of Science in Nursing program with student success in the first semester of\nnursing coursework. Overall, there has been a continual decline in average reading\nability of college-aged students. Reading is a basic skill for learning and academic\nsuccess. To successfully complete an academic program of study in preparation to\nbecome professional nurses, students must be able to read and apply material from\ntextbooks and journals. With the well-documented nursing shortage, any attrition from a\nnursing program contributes to the professional dilemma.\nCorrelational and descriptive methods were used to determine the relationships\namong the variables for 179 students in this selected Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program. A comparative approach was used to investigate possible cause and\neffect relationships between measures of academic success of students and reading\ncomprehension abilities. Data were obtained from official academic records and test\nresults for the Nelson-Denny Reading Test and the Nurse Entrance Test. Statistical\nprocedures used to understand and interpret the interactions among and between the\nvariables and included frequency distributions, descriptive statistics, correlational\nanalysis, and a regression model.\nResults of the study, limited to the students in this BSN program, indicated that\nreading comprehension, as measured by the Nelson-Denny Reading Test, was better in\nidentifying student risk for academic failure. There was a positive relationship between\nthe grade point average (GPA) for prerequisite science courses, overall cumulative\nGPA, and GPA for the first semester nursing courses. Early determination of reading\ncomprehension ability provides needed information to direct intervention activities to\nimprove individual reading comprehension abilities and, thus, promote successful\nacademic performance in the first semester of this nursing program and thereafter.
Author: Jennifer Cook
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2517390236