CHAPTER I PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND INTRODUCTION The alarming decline of nursing board passers urged students to query the readiness of those nursing students who would be taking the upcoming board exam. According to the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) Board of Nursing, during the Nursing Licensure Exam (NLE) November 2009, there were a total of 37, 527 out of 94,462 BSN graduates passed. Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) Board of Nursing was discontented of the outcome for which it rated the lowest passing rate in the Philippine nursing history. Due to the stated cause, students of batch 2012 were encouraged to perform better for the upcoming board exam. The study aims to measure a student's overall performance across a wide range of mental capabilities, like intelligence test do by the aid of aptitude test. It also often includes items which measure more specialized abilities like verbal and numerical skills that predict scholastic performance in educational programs. Aptitude test focuses on the future performance or behavior, as in what a person is capable 1
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CHAPTER I
PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND
INTRODUCTION
The alarming decline of nursing board passers urged students to query the readiness of those
nursing students who would be taking the upcoming board exam. According to the Professional
Regulation Commission (PRC) Board of Nursing, during the Nursing Licensure Exam (NLE) November
2009, there were a total of 37, 527 out of 94,462 BSN graduates passed. Professional Regulation
Commission (PRC) Board of Nursing was discontented of the outcome for which it rated the lowest
passing rate in the Philippine nursing history. Due to the stated cause, students of batch 2012 were
encouraged to perform better for the upcoming board exam.
The study aims to measure a student's overall performance across a wide range of mental
capabilities, like intelligence test do by the aid of aptitude test. It also often includes items which measure
more specialized abilities like verbal and numerical skills that predict scholastic performance in
educational programs. Aptitude test focuses on the future performance or behavior, as in what a person is
capable learning given appropriate training. It is also to large extent measures of achievement tests and
covers test of intelligence as well. The need to find the best predictor for the performance in the Academic
Achievement is the very essence of this research.
This study shows the relationship between the Nursing Aptitude Test scores and Academic
Achievement variables of selected 3rd year nursing students (SY 2011-2012) in Central Mindanao
University. This study also show which among the nursing aptitude test scores of selected 3 th year nursing
students best predict the outcome of their Academic Achievement.
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Several researches in the past and recent years have studied cognitive related aptitude test, which
may account for distinction in a student’s academic performance, which may be reflected not just in
nursing grade point average (GPAs) but also test or performances such as board exam. From a local study
conducted by Manabat (1992), he correlated Aptitude test and Academic as to show that Nursing Aptitude
Test with all its dimensions, significantly correlated with a student’s success in both their four year BSN
course and their chances of success in the Nursing Board Examination. Yet Kaplan and Sacuzzo (2006)
believed that achievement is related with aptitude, while aptitude connotes future performance prediction.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
This study analyzed if nursing aptitude test scores have predictive value to academic achievement
as measured by grade point average (GPA). Specifically it answered the following questions:
1. What is the aptitude of the respondents in terms of:
1.1 verbal reasoning
1.2 numerical facility
1.3 science and health information
1.4 spatial perception
1.5 scholastic aptitude
2. What is the academic achievement of the respondents in terms of :
2.1 GPA in Science Subjects
2.2 GPA in Major Nursing Subjects
3. Is there a significant relationship between nursing aptitude test scores and academic achievement?
4. Which among the nursing aptitude test scores best predict academic achievement?
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OBJECTIVES:
To identify the aptitude of the respondents in terms of verbal reasoning, numerical facility,
science and health information, spatial perception and scholastic aptitude.
To identify the different academic achievement of the respondents in terms of GPA in Science
Subjects and GPA in Major Nursing Subjects.
To determine if there is a significant relationship between nursing aptitude test scores and
academic achievement.
To determine which among the nursing aptitude test scores best predict academic achievement.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
1. To students who want to pursue a nursing career, this serves as a basis for considering if nursing
is the right career path for them through the predictive value of the Nursing Aptitude and
Academic achievement in the possibility of passing the board exam.
2. To the faculty members, this can help them realize how important their roles in imparting
knowledge to the students as this knowledge becomes the product of the students’ achievement
both in academics and possibly in board exam. Since professors are the most important resources
of the educational system, this also helps them realize the importance of taking the initiative for
their own career growth.
3. To the nursing school administrators, this can be their basis in providing opportunity for faculty
development. This will also encourage them to evaluate the selection and retention policy of the
school in terms of aptitude score and GPAs of the students, thus become a consideration in
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revising the nursing curriculum.
4. To the society, this study will serve as guidance for those who would want to enter the nursing
profession. These screening tools will help them decide if nursing is the right course for them or
not and will save families from possible loss of money for sending their children to a wrong
vocation/ career. This will not only lead to quality nursing graduates but also to improvement of
the health system of the country.
5. To future researches, this study will serve as a source of information in improving their studies
and will help them go through the process easily. The information found here may provide
insights in improving the quality of future studies.
LIMITATION OF THE STUDIES
The study was conducted in Central Mindanao University, College of Nursing. It aims to assess
correlation of Nursing Aptitude Test (NAT) that the center for measurement administered as an
assessment tool for CMU-College of Nursing students entering Junior Year and the academic
achievement which is measured by GPA which data is given by the respondents.
The subjects of this study were limited to 17 3rd yr. nursing students of CMU- College of Nursing
batch 2012 students whose NAT results were taken from them personally. This study did not cover other
possible psychological tests such as occupational interests, mental ability and personality variables.
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DEFINITION OF TERMS
Academic - the scholarly activities of a school or university, as classroom studies or research projects:
more emphasis on academics and less on athletics.
Achievement – something accomplished, esp. by superior ability, special effort, great courage, act of
achieving; attainment or accomplishment
Aptitude -capability; ability; innate or acquired capacity for something; talent: She has a special aptitude
for mathematics. Readiness or quickness in learning; intelligence: He was placed in honors classes
because of his general aptitude the state or quality of being apt; special fitness
Aptitude test - any of various tests given to measure abilities, as manual dexterity, visual acuity,
reasoning, or verbal comprehension, and used to assist in the selection of a career.
Facility - readiness or ease due to skill, aptitude, or practice; dexterity: to compose with great facility.
Something designed, built, installed, etc., to serve a specific function affording a convenience or service:
transportation facilities; educational facilities; a new research facility.
GPA – Grade Point Average is used as a metric by employers and others to assess and compare students.
General Weighted Average - An average in which each quantity to be averaged is assigned a
weight. These weightings determine the relative importance of each quantity on the average.
Weightings are the equivalent of having that many like items with the same value involved in the
average.
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Numerical - of or pertaining to numbers; of the nature of a number. indicating a number: numerical
symbols. bearing or designated by a number. expressed by numbers instead of letters: numerical
cryptography; numerical equations. of or pertaining to one's skill at working with numbers, solving
mathematical problems, etc.: tests for rating numerical aptitude.
Perception - The act or faculty of apprehending by means of the senses or of the mind; cognition;
understanding. Immediate or intuitive recognition or appreciation, as of moral, psychological, or aesthetic
qualities; insight; intuition; discernment: an artist of rare perception.
Predictor - To state, tell about, or make known in advance, especially on the basis of special knowledge.
information that supports a probabilistic estimate of future
Scholastic - Pertaining to, or suiting, a scholar, a school, or schools; scholarlike; as, scholastic manners or
pride; scholastic learning.
Science - systematic knowledge of the physical or material world gained through observation and
experimentation. a branch of knowledge or study dealing with a body of facts or truths systematically
arranged and showing the operation of general laws: the mathematical sciences. Skill, esp. reflecting a
precise application of facts or principles; proficiency.
Spatial - pertaining to or involving or having the nature of space; "the first dimension to concentrate on is
the spatial one"; "spatial ability"; "spatial awareness"; "the spatial distribution of the population"
Verbal reasoning - is understanding and reasoning using concepts framed in words. It aims at evaluating
ability to think constructively, rather than at simple fluency or vocabulary recognition.