A study to measure the effectiveness of the W. K. Kellogg Foundation Australian Nursing Fellowship Program 1979 - 1983 on recipients

Abstract

This study sets out to measure the effectiveness of the W. K. Kellogg Foundation Australian Nursing Program on the seventy-eight nurses awarded long and short term fellowships between 1979 and 1983. In order to determine the degree of effectiveness it was necessary to ascertain if the Australian nurses awarded these fellowships achieved the stated aims of the program. The nurses were expected to achieve both personal and professional development through their period of study in the United States and then upon their return to Australia disseminate the results of their study for the benefit of other nurses within Australia. Evaluations of previous scholarships or fellowship programs showed that certain indicators could be used to measure the effectiveness of programs. These indicators included details of pre-and post-fellowship educational and career path activities. Other indicators used were promotion,attrition rates from the profession,research and publication levels. The major indicator used in this study was an impact or self-assessment statement from the participants as suggested in guidelines from the World Health Organisation (1981) and used in the evaluation of the Executive Development Scheme in 1985. The methodology of the study was assessed against Warwick and Lininger's (1979) criteria to undertake studies. A number of relevant survey methods were used to collect both qualitative and quantitative data to measure the change. The results of the study indicate that almost all of the fellows, both long and short term, completed their educational program and, in the case of the long term fellows, gained the qualification sought. A large majority of fellows claimed considerable personal growth, Most were of the opinion that they now enjoy greater status, higher participation and reported that they now earn much larger salaries than before their fellowship. The fellowship was seen by most as an important contributing factor in their attaining these benefits.

Date of Award	1988
Original language	English
Supervisor	Robert Irwin (Supervisor)