Progress in the Moral Reasoning of Baccalaureate Nursing Students between Program Entry and Exit

Laura Duckett, Mary Rowan, Muriel Ryden, Kathleen Krichbaum, Marilee Miller, Heather Wainwrigth, Kay Savik

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

44 Scopus citations

Abstract

Changes in moral reasoning between entry into and exit from a baccalaureate nursing program and the relationship between student characteristics and moral reasoning at entry and exit were explored in this descriptive study. The moral reasoning of four cohorts of students was measured using the Defining Issues Test (DIT). Admission grade point average, prior college credits, and gender accounted for 10% of the variance in DIT P% scores at entry and 14% of the variance at exit from the program. Female students had significantly higher moral reasoning scores than men. Age did not contribute significantly to explaining DIT score variance. DIT P% scores at entry for all four cohorts were within the range of reported norms for college students. Exit scores for all four cohorts were between the normative means for undergraduate students and graduate students. DIT P% score gains between entry and exit were significant for all four cohorts. Students whose entry scores were in the lowest categories had the greatest mean gains.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)222-229
Number of pages8
JournalNursing research
Volume46
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 1 1997

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Progress in the Moral Reasoning of Baccalaureate Nursing Students between Program Entry and Exit'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this