Date of Award

Summer 6-2017

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Education

First Advisor

Dr. Rhonda Bishop

Second Advisor

Dr. Sherry DeVore

Third Advisor

Dr. Doug Hayter

Abstract

The purpose of this quantitative study was to evaluate the self-efficacy of novice nursing and allied health educators as it pertains to their overall desire to enhance their knowledge of educational instruction. Many nursing and allied health faculty transition from clinical practice to teaching with little to no formalized knowledge in education (Cangelosi, 2014; Gresham-Anderson, 2015). Bandura’s (1977a) theory of social learning and self-efficacy was utilized as the theoretical framework for the study. This study was guided by four research questions used to investigate how the self-efficacy of nursing and allied health professionals changed as participants became more experienced educators, the types of learning opportunities the contributors participated in, and the supports and barriers novice educators faced when making the transition from being a practitioner to becoming a teacher. A survey was utilized to gain the data needed. A total of 202 surveys were sent to allied health personnel in higher education institutions in a Midwest state. The results were analyzed using descriptive statistics. In the findings, most of the survey respondents noted their self-efficacy was lower when entering the teaching field as compared to working in their designated allied health field. However, by participating in self-directed learning, professional development, and mentoring, the survey respondents noted self-efficacy increased as they became more skilled as instructors. Implications for practice included providing a formalized orientation process, investment in faculty development, as well as mentoring for novice teachers. Future research studies could gain a more comprehensive understanding of the barriers novice educators face when transitioning from clinical practice to academia and the steps taken to improve self-efficacy.

Rights

Copyright 2017

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