Date of Award

1988

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Program

Curriculum and Instruction EdD

First Advisor

Paul S. Brantley

Second Advisor

Bill Green

Third Advisor

Rilla Taylor

Abstract

Problem. In 1976 Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) nursing educational leaders adopted a statement of philosophy and goals that incorporated the concept of restoring humans to God's image. Although Adventist education was founded upon restoration themes, no empirical evidence indicates that nursing faculty and students perceive restoration as important or evident in nursing education today. It was the purpose of this study to determine the extent to which the concept of restoration is manifested in SDA nursing programs in the United States.

Method. Ten summary statements provide a definition of restoration consistent with the beliefs and teachings of the SDA church. An SDA Concept of Restoration Inventory was developed from the 10 summary statements to determine student and faculty perceptions of the restoration theme. The Inventory was used to measure the extent to which faculty and students perceived restoration concepts to be manifested in philosophy statements, program goals, course objectives, student-teacher interactions, and the teachers' professional activities. The Inventory was administered to 67 full-time faculty and 208 associate degree and baccalaureate degree seniors in nine SDA nursing programs. Corroborative data was gathered from NLN Self-Study Reports and faculty and student interviews.

Results. Findings from the Inventory, supported in part by document analyses, indicate that the restoration concept is manifested considerably more in philosophy statements than in program goals and more specific course objectives.

Overall, both faculty and students rated the importance of restoration concepts above the actual existence of restoration in the programs. Students perceived restoration concepts to be significantly less apparent in all areas than did faculty. Divergence was highest between faculty and student responses on the perceived inclusion of restoration in teachers' professional activities.

Conclusions. Faculty, and particularly students, agree that the restoration concept is of major importance and should be manifested in all areas of the curriculum. Faculty and students alike indicate dissatisfaction with the inadequate inclusion of restoration concepts in statements of philosophy, program goals, course objectives, student-teacher interactions, and the teachers' professional activities.

Subject Area

Nursing--Religious aspects, Nursing--Study and teaching

DOI

https://dx.doi.org/10.32597/dissertations/460/

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