The Impact of Remedial Education on Nursing Student Success

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of remedial education on nursing student success. This quantitative, retrospective study utilized Alexander Astin’s (1993) Input-Environment-Outcomes (I-E-O) model to explore the relationship between demographic variables (inputs) and the number and type of remedial courses taken (environmental variables) on final cumulative grade point average (GPA) and first-time pass rates on the NCLEX-RN state licensure examination (outcomes). The study examined 1,678 associate degree nursing (ADN) graduates between 2004 and 2007 in a state-wide community college system. The analysis identified MAT 050/Basic Algebra as the only remedial course to have the statistical power to be included in the model as a predictor of final cumulative GPA. However, the model only accounted for .4% of the variance indicating there are other factors influencing students’ GPA besides the MAT 050 course. Results suggest that female students are less likely to need remediation in ENG 032/Reading Strategies for College II and more likely to need remediation in MAT 050/Basic Algebra. Ethnicity and age were found to be weak predictors of final cumulative GPA and pass/fail performance on the NCLEX-RN examination. Number and type of remedial courses showed no statistically significant, predictive relationships with pass/fail rates on the NCLEX-RN examination. Understanding the impact of remedial education on nursing student success can ultimately influence the number of nurses available to meet the needs of an aging population.