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Do emotional intelligence and previous caring experience influence student nurse performance? A comparative analysis

Stenhouse, Rosie; Snowden, Austyn; Young, Jenny; Carver, Fiona; Carver, Hannah; Brown, Norrie

Authors

Rosie Stenhouse

Jenny Young

Fiona Carver

Hannah Carver

Norrie Brown



Abstract

Background: Reports of poor nursing care have focused attention on values based selection of candidates onto nursing programmes. Values based selection lacks clarity and valid measures. Previous caring experience might lead to better care. Emotional intelligence (EI) might be associated with performance, is conceptualised and measurable.

Objectives: To examine the impact of 1) previous caring experience, 2) emotional intelligence 3) social connection scores on performance and retention in a cohort of first year nursing and midwifery students in Scotland.

Design: A longitudinal, quasi experimental design.

Setting: Adult and mental health nursing, and midwifery programmes in a Scottish University.

Methods: Adult, mental health and midwifery students (n=598) completed the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire-short form and Schutte’s Emotional Intelligence Scale on entry to their programmes at a Scottish University, alongside demographic and previous caring experience data. Social connection was calculated from a subset of questions identified within the TEIQue-SF in a prior factor and Rasch analysis. Student performance was calculated as the mean mark across the year. Withdrawal data were gathered.

Results: 598 students completed baseline measures. 315 students declared previous caring experience, 277 not. An independent-samples t-test identified that those without previous caring experience scored higher on performance (57.33 ± 11.38) than those with previous caring experience (54.87 ± 11.19), a statistically significant difference of 2.47 (95% CI, 0.54 to 4.38), t(533) = 2.52, p = .012. Emotional intelligence scores were not associated with performance. Social connection scores for those withdrawing (mean rank = 249) and those remaining (mean rank = 304.75) were statistically significantly different, U = 15300, z = - 2.61, p < 0.009.

Conclusions: Previous caring experience led to worse performance in this cohort. Emotional intelligence was not a useful indicator of performance. Lower scores on the social connection factor were associated with withdrawal from the course.

Citation

Stenhouse, R., Snowden, A., Young, J., Carver, F., Carver, H., & Brown, N. (2016). Do emotional intelligence and previous caring experience influence student nurse performance? A comparative analysis. Nurse Education Today, 43, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2016.04.015

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Apr 20, 2016
Online Publication Date Apr 30, 2016
Publication Date 2016-08
Deposit Date May 3, 2016
Publicly Available Date May 1, 2017
Journal Nurse Education Today
Print ISSN 0260-6917
Electronic ISSN 1532-2793
Publisher Elsevier
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 43
Pages 1-9
DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2016.04.015
Keywords Emotional intelligence; student nurse; pre-registration; performance; previous caring experience; longitudinal;
Public URL http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/id/eprint/9996
Publisher URL http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2016.04.015
Contract Date May 3, 2016

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