http://hdl.handle.net/2328/3086 2013-05-20T05:22:44Z http://hdl.handle.net/2328/3112 Title: A predictive model identifying latent variables, which influence undergraduate student nurses' achievement in mental health nursing skills. Authors: Blackman, Ian Robert Abstract: A hypothetical model is developed to examine factors influencing nurses' achievement in a range of mental health nursing skills. The latent variables examined fall in four broad areas including the students': background (gender, predominant language used, age, prior education, previous nursing experience); previous successes with other undergraduate nursing topics (physical sciences, nursing and psychosocial sciences study areas); attitudes toward mental health nursing and mental illness causation; and relationship between learning environment and achievement (consists of such factors as the type of venues used for mental health nursing experience and teacher influence in topic delivery). Student achievement in mental health nursing skills is estimated by measuring student's self-rated level of confidence to undertake 20 nursing related tasks (undertaken before and after a unit of mental health studies was completed by students) and scores achieved using a 50 item multiple choice tests mental health nursing. The model examining student pathways to achievement is tested using Latent Variable Partial Least Square analysis (LVPLS). [Author abstract] 2001-11-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2328/3111 Title: Graduate-entry medical student variables that predict academic and clinical achievement Authors: Blackman, Ian Robert; Darmawan, I Gusti Ngurah Abstract: A hypothetical model was formulated to explore factors that influenced academic and clinical achievement for graduate-entry medical students completing their third year of university studies. Nine latent variables were considered including the students' background, previous successes with their undergraduate and postgraduate studies and their assessed ability to study graduate-entry medicine based on their scholastic aptitude and their interview selection scores. The academic and clinical achievement of 99 graduate-entry medical students were estimated by measuring their performance on two separate assessment procedures, a 150 item multiple choice examination and a 20 item objectively structured clinical evaluation (OSCE) test. These two assessments were taken across two years (to include two student groups) and were equated using Rasch scaling procedures. Models identifying causal pathways leading to academic and clinical achievement were tested using Partial Least Squares Path Analysis (PLSPAT). The study's results suggest that medical student achievement can be predicted by variables, which account for 6 to 22 percent of the variance of scores that assess academic achievement and clinical performance at the third year level respectively. The most significant predictors and those which had direct influence on graduate-entry medical student achievement were: (a) student gender, undergraduate grade point average scores, type of undergraduate studies undertaken, and where those studies were carried out that were related to the OSCE scores, and (b) whether or not the graduate-entry medical students had pursued other studies prior to undertaking the medical course and age that were both negatively related to achievement on the multiple choice examination. Measures of performance at interview and student scores for GAMSAT that were used in the selection process were not related to the performance outcomes assessed. [Author abstract] 2004-08-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2328/3092 Title: The perceived complexity of vocational workplace rehabilitation and its implications for supervisor development Authors: Blackman, Ian Robert Abstract: This study explored the factors that influence the perceived complexity of vocational rehabilitation tasks and the abilities of workplace supervisors and rehabilitating employees to carry out rehabilitation in the workplace. The research project was designed to explore whether there was a difference between the perceived complexity of 31 vocationally related rehabilitation tasks as understood by 272 workplace supervisors and 80 employees who were undertaking workplace rehabilitation. By using a probabilistic measurement approach (Rasch model), the study also sought to explore if there was an underlying dimension of the work-related rehabilitation tasks and whether the ability to undertake workplace rehabilitation tasks was influenced by the status and gender of the participants. Additionally, the study sought to assess whether a scale of performance for learning could be constructed, based on the difficulty of the rehabilitation tasks and the self rated capacity of workplace supervisors and their rehabilitating employees. Outcomes of the study suggest that supervisors and rehabilitating employees differ significantly, both in how they view the complexity of vocational rehabilitation and their capacity to participate effectively in workplace rehabilitation. Recommendations are made for designing supervisor rehabilitation training programs in terms of their content and structure, in a bid to make workplace vocational rehabilitation more effective. [Author abstract] 2003-03-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2328/3091 Title: Mapping self-confidence levels of nurses in their provision of nursing care to others with alcohol and tobacco dependence, using Rasch scaling Authors: Blackman, Ian Robert; de Crespigny, Charlotte Francis; Parker, Stephen John Abstract: This study sought to identify factors that influenced the perceived complexity of providing nursing care to others (who were dependent on alcohol and tobacco) and the confidence of undergraduate student nurses to carry out this care. The research project was designed to explore whether there was a difference between the perceived complexities of 57 different nursing tasks and skills as understood by student nurses and their differing ages, gender and types of first language used. By using a probabilistic measurement approach (Rasch model), the study sought to assess whether a scale of performance for learning could be constructed based on the difficulty of nursing care required and the self-rated capacity of the undergraduate nursing students to provide the nursing care. Outcomes of the study suggest that nursing students do differ significantly both in how they view the complexity of providing nurse care and their capacity to provide that nursing care. Recommendations are made for informing nursing education programs, in a bid to make nursing care as it relates to others who are substance dependent, more effective. [Author abstract] 2006-07-01T00:00:00Z