Home Medicine Assessment of High-Stakes Testing, Hopeful Thinking, and Goal Orientation among Baccalaureate Nursing Students
Article
Licensed
Unlicensed Requires Authentication

Assessment of High-Stakes Testing, Hopeful Thinking, and Goal Orientation among Baccalaureate Nursing Students

  • Alice L. March EMAIL logo and Cecil Robinson
Published/Copyright: September 17, 2015

Abstract

Background and Objectives: High-stakes didactic testing assesses competency. Exams are stressful, and decreasing anxiety may enhance learning. Academic progression and graduation rates may result when higher levels of hopeful thinking (the belief in one’s ability to achieve desired goals), and certain achievement goal orientation (why one desires to succeed) are present.

Methods: This non-experimental study engaged undergraduate nursing students via surveys to examined relationships among hopeful thinking, goal orientation, and scores on standardized high-stakes examination of students.

Results: Regression analyses (N = 151) indicated that hopeful thinking was significantly related to higher exam scores, and that performance-avoidance goal scores were significantly related to lower scores.

Conclusion: The positive relationship between hopeful thinking and exam scores suggests the need to consider supporting hopeful thinking in nursing education. Additional research may explicate the relationship between performance-avoidance and scores on high-stakes exams.

References

Adamson, C., & Britt, R. (2009). Repeat testing in the HESI exit exam: Sixth validity study. Computers, Informatics, Nursing, 27, 393–397. doi:10.1097/NCN.0b013e3181bcae08.doi:10.1097/NCN.0b013e3181bcae08Search in Google Scholar

Ames, C. (1992). Classrooms: Goals, structures, and student motivation. Journal of Educational Psychology, 84, 261–271.10.1037/0022-0663.84.3.261Search in Google Scholar

Bressler, L. A., Bressler, M. E., & Bressler, M. S. (2010). The role and relationship of hope, optimism, and goal setting in achieving academic success: A study of students enrolled in online accounting courses. Academy of Educational Leadership Journal, 14(4), 37–51.Search in Google Scholar

Cavazos Vela, J., Lerma, E., Lenz, A. S., Hinojosa, K., Hernandez-Duque, O., & Gonzalez, S. L. (2014). Positive psychological and familial factors as predictors of Latina/o students’ hope and college performance. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 36, 452–469. doi:0.1177/0739986314550790.doi:0.1177/0739986314550790Search in Google Scholar

Chang, E. C. (1998). Hope, problem solving, and coping in a college student population: Some implications for theory and practice. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 54, 953–962.10.1002/(SICI)1097-4679(199811)54:7<953::AID-JCLP9>3.0.CO;2-FSearch in Google Scholar

Conley, A. M. (2012). Patterns of motivation beliefs: Combining achievement goal and expectancy-value perspectives. Journal of Educational Psychology, 104, 32–47. doi:10.1037/a0026042.doi:10.1037/a0026042Search in Google Scholar

Dinger, F. C., Dickhauser, O., Spinath, B., & Steinmayr, R. (2013). Antecedents and consequences of students’ achievement goals: A mediation analysis. Learning and Individual Differences, 28, 90–101. doi:10.1016/j.lindif.2013.09.005.doi:10.1016/j.lindif.2013.09.005Search in Google Scholar

Dunn, K. E. (2014). Insight into error hiding: Exploration of nursing students’ achievement goal orientations. Journal of Nursing Education, 53, 93–96. doi:10.3928/01484834-20140122-02.doi:10.3928/01484834-20140122-02Search in Google Scholar

Dweck, C. S., & Leggett, E. L. (1988). A social-cognitive approach to motivation and personality. Psychological Review, 95, 256–273.10.1037/0033-295X.95.2.256Search in Google Scholar

Elliot, A. J., & Church, M. A. (1997). A hierarchical model of approach and achievement motivation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 72, 218–232.10.1037/0022-3514.72.1.218Search in Google Scholar

Elliot, A. J., & McGregor, H. A. (2001). A 2 × 2 achievement goal framework. Journal of Personality and Social Pathology, 80, 501–519. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.80.3.501.doi:10.1037/0022-3514.80.3.501Search in Google Scholar

Elliott, A. J., & Murayama, K. (2008). On the measurement of achievement goals: Critique, illustration, and application. Journal of Educational Psychology, 100, 623–628. doi:10.1037/0022-0663.100.3.613.doi:10.1037/0022-0663.100.3.613Search in Google Scholar

Feldman, D. B., & Dreher, D. E. (2012). Can hope be changed in 90 minutes? Testing the efficacy of a single-session goal-pursuit intervention for college students. Journal of Happiness Studies, 13, 745–759. doi:10.1007/s10902-011-9292-4.doi:10.1007/s10902-011-9292-4Search in Google Scholar

Ikeda, K., Castel, A. D., & Murayama, K. (2015). Mastery-approach goals eliminate retrieval-induced forgetting: The role of achievement goals in memory inhibition. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 41, 687–695. doi:0.1177/0146167215575730.doi:0.1177/0146167215575730Search in Google Scholar

Langford, R., & Young, A. (2013). Predicting NCLEX-RN success with the HESI exist exam: Eight validity study. Journal of Professional Nursing, 29(2S), S5–S9. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2012.06.007.http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2012.06.007Search in Google Scholar PubMed

Lauer, M. E., & Yoho, M. J. (2013). HESI exams: Consequences and remediation. Journal of Professional Nursing, 29(2s), s22–s27. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2013.01.001.http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2013.01.001Search in Google Scholar PubMed

McDermott, D., & Snyder, C. R. (2000). The great big book of hope: Help your children achieve their dreams. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger.Search in Google Scholar

McGregor, H. A., & Elliott, A. J. (2002). Achievement goals as predictors of achievement-relevant processes prior to task engagement. Journal of Educational Psychology, 94, 381–395.10.1037/0022-0663.94.2.381Search in Google Scholar

National Council on Measurement in Education. (2012). High-stakes testing. Retrieved from http://ncme.org/resource-center/glossary/h/high-stakes-testing/.Search in Google Scholar

National League for Nursing. (2012). The fair testing imperative in nursing education. Retrieved from http://www.nln.org/aboutnln/livingdocuments/pdf/nlnvision_4.pdf.Search in Google Scholar

National League for Nursing. (2013). Annual survey of schools of nursing, fall 2012. Retrieved from http://www.nln.org/newsroom/nursing-education-statistics/nursing-student-demographicsSearch in Google Scholar

Onwuegbuzie, A. J., & Daley, C. E. (1999). Relation of hope to self-perception. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 88, 535–540.10.2466/pms.1999.88.2.535Search in Google Scholar

Onwuegbuzie, A. J., & Snyder, C. R. (2000). Relations between hope and graduate students’ studying and test taking strategies. Psychological, Reports, 86, 803–806.10.2466/pr0.2000.86.3.803Search in Google Scholar PubMed

Ranellucci, J., Muis, K. R., Duffy, M., Wang, X., Sampasivam, L., & Franco, G. M. (2013). To master or perform? Exploring relations between achievement goals and conceptual change learning. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 83, 431–451.10.1111/j.2044-8279.2012.02072.xSearch in Google Scholar PubMed

Remedios, R., & Richardson, J. T. E. (2013). Achievement goals and approaches to studying: Evidence from adult learners in distance education. Distance Education, 34, 271–289. doi:10.1080/01587919.2013.835776.doi:10.1080/01587919.2013.835776Search in Google Scholar

Santo, L., Frander, E., & Hawkins, A. (2013). The use of standardized exit examinations in baccalaureate nursing education. Nurse Educator, 38(2), 81–84. doi:10.1097/NNE.0b013e3182829c66.doi:10.1097/NNE.0b013e3182829c66Search in Google Scholar

Senko, C., & Hulleman, C. S. (2013). The role of goal attainment expectancies in achievement goal pursuit. Journal of Educational Psychology, 105, 504–521. doi:10.1037/a0031136.10.1037/a0031136Search in Google Scholar

Shultz, C. M. (2010). High-stakes testing!? Help is on the way. Nursing Education Perspectives, 31, 205.Search in Google Scholar

Snyder, C. R., Harris, C., Anderson, J. R., Holleran, S. A., Irving, L. M., Sigmon, S.T, … Harney, P. (1991). The will and the ways: Development and validation of an individual-differences measure of hope. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 60, 570–585.10.1037/0022-3514.60.4.570Search in Google Scholar

Snyder, C. R., Shorey, H. S., Cheavens, J., Pulvers, K. M., Adams, V. H., & Wiklund, C. (2002). Hope and academic success in college. Journal of Educational Psychology, 94, 820–826.10.1037/0022-0663.94.4.820Search in Google Scholar

Spurlock, D. (2013). The promise and peril of high-stakes tests in nursing education. Journal of Nursing Regulation, 4(1), 4–8.10.1016/S2155-8256(15)30172-1Search in Google Scholar

Tahmasebi, F., & Motlagh, F. S. (2013). Proposing a model for determining the relation of educational hope and educational satisfaction with students’ educational attainment based upon mediation of educational effort (The case of junior high school students of Tehran’s smart school). International Journal of Social Science and Education, 4(1), 159–166.Search in Google Scholar

Tanaka, A., & Murayama, K. (2014). With-in person analysis of situational interest and boredom: Interactions between tack-specific perceptions and achievement goals. Journal of Educational Psychology, 106, 1112–1134. doi:10.1037/a036659.10.1037/a036659Search in Google Scholar

Urdan, T., Ryan, A. M., Anderman, E. M., & Gheen, M. H. (2002). Goals, goal structures, and avoidance behaviors. In C. Midgley (Ed.), Goals, goal structures, and patterns of adaptive learning (pp. 55–84). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.Search in Google Scholar

Published Online: 2015-9-17
Published in Print: 2015-1-1

©2015 by De Gruyter

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Using “Think Aloud” to Capture Clinical Reasoning during Patient Simulation
  3. Translation and Evaluation of the Cultural Awareness Scale for Korean Nursing Students
  4. Making the Most of Simulated Learning: Understanding and Managing Perceptions
  5. Nursing Students’ Experiences with High-Fidelity Simulation
  6. An Integrative Review: Instructional Strategies to Improve Nurses’ Retention of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Priorities
  7. Effects of Team-Based Learning on Self-Regulated Online Learning
  8. Teaching Nursing Leadership: Comparison of Simulation versus Traditional Inpatient Clinical
  9. The Experience of Nursing Students Who Make Mistakes in Clinical
  10. Identification of the Learning Styles and “On-the-Job” Learning Methods Implemented by Nurses for Promoting Their Professional Knowledge and Skills
  11. Orientation, Evaluation, and Integration of Part-Time Nursing Faculty
  12. Perceptions of Clinical Stress in Baccalaureate Nursing Students
  13. The Flipped Classroom: Fertile Ground for Nursing Education Research
  14. Student Engagement: A Principle-Based Concept Analysis
  15. Assessment of High-Stakes Testing, Hopeful Thinking, and Goal Orientation among Baccalaureate Nursing Students
  16. Partners in Research: Developing a Model for Undergraduate Faculty-Student Collaboration
  17. Nursing Students Achieving Community Health Competencies through Undergraduate Clinical Experiences: A Gap Analysis
  18. Student Perceptions of Quality and Safety Competencies
  19. Integrating a Career Planning and Development Program into the Baccalaureate Nursing Curriculum: Part I. Impact on Students’ Career Resilience
  20. Integrating a Career Planning and Development Program into the Baccalaureate Nursing Curriculum. Part II. Outcomes for New Graduate Nurses 12 Months Post-Graduation
  21. Integrating a Career Planning and Development Program into the Baccalaureate Nursing Curriculum: Part III. Impact on Faculty’s Career Satisfaction and Confidence in Providing Student Career Coaching
Downloaded on 8.1.2026 from https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/ijnes-2014-0075/html
Scroll to top button