Self-efficacy, causal attribution, self-esteem, and academic success in baccalaureate nursing students

The demand for registered nurses is increasing as health care moves beyond the hospital and an illness focus and into the community and a health promotion orientation. However, it has been predicted that by the year 2010 we will be facing a severe nursing shortage. There are multiple factors contributing to this predicted shortage, including a decreasing enrollment in nursing programs, an aging RN workforce, and increasing attrition rates. One way to meet the rising demand for adequately prepared nurses is to decrease attrition by facilitating academic success in baccalaureate programs. Both cognitive and non-cognitive factors have been identified as influencing academic success.; The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between self-efficacy, causal attribution, self-esteem, and academic success in baccalaureate nursing students. A correlational design was used to explore the relationships between these variables. The participants were 264 junior and senior baccalaureate nursing students from three schools of nursing in a southeastern state. Data were gathered using a demographic instrument, Harvey and McMurray's Nursing Academic Self-Efficacy Scale, Russell's Causal Dimension Scale II, and Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale. Success was measured by the grade obtained in the nursing course in which the participants were enrolled. The methods of analysis included descriptive statistics, bivariate correlation, and multiple regression.; The participants scored high on self-efficacy, and self-esteem. Overall, the participants attributed their success or failure to factors that were internal, over which they had control, and which were relatively stable. There were significant positive bivariate correlations for most of the measures with the exception of academic success. Academic success was significantly correlated only with the stability subscale of causal attribution. These variables did not significantly account for variation in success in this study, but the equation did approach significance. Although high self-efficacy, appropriate causal attribution, and high self-esteem will not guarantee success in nursing programs, low self-efficacy, inappropriate causal attribution and low self-esteem may be barriers to success for students. In view of the decreasing enrollment in baccalaureate nursing programs and the increasing demand for baccalaureate prepared registered nurses, nursing education must explore ways to facilitate success in baccalaureate nursing programs.