Background: In the Netherlands, the distinction between Bachelor degree and diploma nursing educational levels remains unclear. The added value of Bachelor degree nurses and how they develop professionally after graduation are subject to debate. Objectives: The aim of this study is to investigate whether Bachelor degree nurses have higher critical thinking skills than diploma nurses do and whether there is a positive relationship between higher critical thinking skills and self-efficacy beliefs. Outcomes might provide instruments that are helpful in positioning of nursing levels in education and practice. Participants: Questionnaire data were used of a sample of 95 registered mental health staff nurses (62 diploma nurses and 33 Bachelor degree nurses). Methods: First, ANOVAwas performed to testwhether the two groupswere comparablewith respect to elements of work experience. Second, t-tests were conducted to compare the two groups of nurses on self-efficacy, perceived performance and critical thinking outcomes. Third, relationships between the study variables were investigated. Finally, structural equation modelling using AMOS was applied to test the relationships. Results: The hypothesis that Bachelor degree nurses are better critical thinkers than diploma nurseswas supported (pb0.01). Years in function turned out to be positively related to self-efficacy beliefs (pb0.01). No significant relation was found between the level of education and self-efficacy beliefs. Conclusions: The results of this study support career development and facilitate more efficient positioning of nursing levels.
Background: In the Netherlands, the distinction between Bachelor degree and diploma nursing educational levels remains unclear. The added value of Bachelor degree nurses and how they develop professionally after graduation are subject to debate. Objectives: The aim of this study is to investigate whether Bachelor degree nurses have higher critical thinking skills than diploma nurses do and whether there is a positive relationship between higher critical thinking skills and self-efficacy beliefs. Outcomes might provide instruments that are helpful in positioning of nursing levels in education and practice. Participants: Questionnaire data were used of a sample of 95 registered mental health staff nurses (62 diploma nurses and 33 Bachelor degree nurses). Methods: First, ANOVAwas performed to testwhether the two groupswere comparablewith respect to elements of work experience. Second, t-tests were conducted to compare the two groups of nurses on self-efficacy, perceived performance and critical thinking outcomes. Third, relationships between the study variables were investigated. Finally, structural equation modelling using AMOS was applied to test the relationships. Results: The hypothesis that Bachelor degree nurses are better critical thinkers than diploma nurseswas supported (pb0.01). Years in function turned out to be positively related to self-efficacy beliefs (pb0.01). No significant relation was found between the level of education and self-efficacy beliefs. Conclusions: The results of this study support career development and facilitate more efficient positioning of nursing levels.
In the current study differences between primary school teachers classified as high-performing in their implementation of cooperative learning (CL) in their classrooms and teachers who were less successful in implementing cooperative learning were investigated. The levels of implementation of cooperative learning differed significantly between teachers, especially in teaching students the needed cooperative behaviours. Based on semi-structured interviews, it was found that low-performing CL teachers struggle more with student behaviour during cooperative learning, while high-performing CL teachers feel more able to regulate student behaviour. We concluded that teachers who differed in their teacher performance of implementation of cooperative learning also differed in their attitudes and beliefs about this approach. An integrated model on professional development and teacher change is proposed to interpret the results of differences between teachers. This model shows that positive attitudes and beliefs before implementation, but also experiencing positive student outcomes (incl. positive student behaviour) during implementation are important factors in making cooperative learning successful in practice. We suggest that teachers should be prevented from entering a negative spiral in which they experience student behaviour during cooperative learning only as difficult and, therefore, do not succeed in improving students’ cognitive and behavioural outcomes.
