The influence of academic learning time on the cognitive achievement of nursing students

Abstract

The influence of additional time devoted to learning has been documented for the learner at the elementary-school level. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of additional learning time on the cognitive achievement of students in higher education, specifically nursing students. In this dissertation an attempt was made to answer three questions: Was there a statistically significant difference in the (1) cognitive achievement of subjects who spent a longer period of time learning the same task; (2) relationship between subjects' reading ability and their cognitive achievements; and (3) relationship between the subjects' grade point averages in prerequisite courses and their achievement in the units included in this study. The study was conducted at a university in the southwestern United States and included three units of study from a regularly scheduled course in the nursing curriculum. The subjects included 45 female nursing students in the second semester of their junior year. The data for each subject were obtained from: a demographic questionnaire, three pretests, three posttests, gain scores, and each subject's grade point average. The population was randomly divided into three equal groups; each group was a treatment group for one of the three units. Additional time to learn was given to the treatment group in each unit. Achievement was measured by posttest scores and gain scores from each unit. Reading achievement was measured by the Nelson-Denny Reading Test. The subjects' grade point averages from prerequisite courses were included. The statistical analyses employed to answer the research questions included descriptive and inferential techniques. The experimental design included a Latin Square complete block. From the results it was concluded: (1) The effect of additional time on learning was not a statistically significant variable. (2) There was a statistically significant relationship between reading ability and cognitive achievement on posttest scores. (3) The relationship between the grade point averages in prerequisite courses and achievement was statistically significant in all three units. Based upon these conclusions, recommendations included the evaluation of each student's reading ability, provision for academic counseling, and necessary remediation to improve reading skills.