The Use of the Barriers to Baccalaureate Nursing Education Instrument Among ADN Students: Purpose, Reliability, and Validity

Abstract

Background and purpose: Challenges abound as to the goal of "80% BSN by 2020." This study reports the use and the psychometric properties of the Barriers to Baccalaureate Nursing Education instrument among associate degree nursing students.

Methods: Analyses included content validity, component analysis with oblique rotation, and hypothesis testing.

Results: Four factors with total variance explained of 61.24% emerged: Dispositional, Situational, and two Institutional barriers. Reliability coefficients ranged .62-.88. Group differences in subscale scores based on educational level, number of dependents, hours worked, and age were found along with correlations.

Conclusions: The instrument demonstrated adequate validity and reliability. A structural framework toward understanding the barriers to baccalaureate education among students and nurses is provided. Future studies should include psychometric testing for further refinement, validity, and reliability.

Keywords: associate degree nursing students; baccalaureate nursing education; barriers to education; factor analysis; nontraditional students; psychometric testing.