Educational strategies to promote college readiness in rural pre-nursing students

Abstract

Background

The greatest deficits in the nursing workforce have been seen in rural areas, where residents are less likely to attend college, and these reduced admission rates pose challenges for these communities. When comparing rural high school graduates to their urban counterparts, rural students also have greater attrition.

Aim

The purpose of this study was to compare student understanding of test-taking skills, study skills, and classroom skills, before and after an educational learning module intervention via Assessment Technologies Institute's (ATI) Achieve® program

Methods

A quantitative, single group pre/post-test design was used that evaluated fifteen, female prenursing students during a three-day intensive. Students completed pre- and post-surveys related to an educational intervention consisting of interactive learning modules on study habits, classroom skills, and test-taking strategies.

Results

Wilcoxon tests were used to compare pre- and post-survey test scores. Post-test scores regarding note-taking were statistically significantly higher than pre-test scores, p<.0001.

Conclusion

These results demonstrate that incorporating interactive learning modules with a post-assessment is an effective way to increase knowledge of study habits related to class note-taking.