| This qualitative research study examined the perceptions of rural nursing caregivers about factors that impede or enhance their participation in a formal education program. Selected analytical categories, identified as institutional, informational, situational, social, psychological, and transition/trigger influences, were used to provide a focus to the study. Through the use of interviews and critical incident questionnaires, the perceptions of nursing caregivers enrolled and not enrolled in formal education were obtained. These findings were compared with the perceptions gained through interviews of college faculty and administrators. All aggregates suggest that institutional, informational, situational, social, psychological, and transition/trigger influences affect rural nursing caregivers' participation in formal education. There appears to be a synergistic relationship among the categories of influence, which produce insurmountable barriers affecting rural nursing caregivers' participation in formal education. The salient findings relate to the rural situational and social influences and their impact on participation. Rural situational issues include bad roads, the lack of public transportation, and excessive travel time. Unique rural social influences cited as having an effect on participation were the role of women, the value of an education in a rural society, and rural isolationism. Among all groups, professional nursing issues emerged as an additional influence affecting rural nursing caregivers' participation in formal education, including: nursing roles, nursing education, the nursing image, nursing credentialing, and support of professional nursing organizations, emerged as an additional influence affecting rural nursing caregivers' participation in formal education. There was a disparity between rural nursing caregivers' perceptions of influences affecting participation and those of college personnel. Overall, an adult student-centered focus needs to be considered by higher education personnel in order to address the multiple influences affecting participation. Recommendations are offered based on the conclusions drawn that encourage higher education institutions to change impediments associated with participation in a formal education program into facilitating influences. There is a need for further research in order to enhance the current body of literature on participation, particularly in the areas associated with the effect that rural situational and social issues, age, transition and life events, and professional nursing issues have on participation. |
