| The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between self-directed continuing learning. negotiated incentives, and participation in continuous education activities by unionized nurses employed in high and low benefited setting acute care hospitals in the public and private sectors in New York State. The Self-Directed Learning Aptitude Scale (SDLAS) survey identified the scores attributable to a nurse's current level of self-directed continuing learning concerning the nurse's learning aptitude, attitudes, abilities, and personality characteristics and measured three broad dimensions of self-directed continuing learning, including self-management, motivation, and self-monitoring. Barriers to the participation in continuous education activities were also explored.;The independent variables were the intrinsic factors associated with sell-directed continuing learning (self-management. motivation, and self-monitoring) and extrinsic factors associated with negotiated benefits and incentives (tuition reimbursement, certification differential, education differential, and staff development reimbursements), age. and education level. The dependent variable was the participation in continuous education activities as measured by the utilization by nurses of negotiated incentives. Utilization was defined as registration in continuous education activities, attendance in a continuous educational program. or application for receipt of the negotiated benefit.;The results of this study indicate that negotiated benefits mediate the relationship between intrinsic factors and the participation in continuous education. These findings have implications for collective bargaining purposes, educational delivery purposes, and for generalizing the results of this study to the nursing profession, and for future research. |
