Nursing Educators Shortage
Nursing Educators Shortage: The Relationship between Job Satisfaction and the Level of Retention among Nursing Educators
Methodology
Extraneous Variables
The independent variable in the study is job satisfaction, while the dependent variable is the intention to stay. However, other variables might affect the outcome of the research and must be controlled to avoid influence on the results (Campbell & Stanley, 2015). Some extraneous variables in the study include the age, gender, education, and experience level of the participants. It is worth noting that random sampling is an effective way of controlling extraneous variables. Furthermore, the researcher should consider the age of the participants, especially those about to leave the career due to age.
Data Collection Instruments
The study will be carried out using a semi-structured questionnaire. For questionnaires that are pre-established, such as those for testing the level of job satisfaction, it is easy to determine their reliability and validity. It is evident that for pre-existing tools, their designers have already established their validity and reliability. The particular instrument that will be used to measure the level of job satisfaction is the Job Satisfaction Survey designed by Spector and with 36 items to measure the variable (Van Saane, Sluiter, Verbeek, & Frings‐Dresen, 2003). On the other hand, the researcher can pre-assess the relevance scores of the content of questionnaires. Pre-testing is a critical step in measuring the validity and reliability of a survey designed by the researcher. The researcher performs a pilot study to establish whether the instrument is applicable across settings and if it is reliable. Validity, reliability, and comprehensiveness can be improved by adjusting the items of the questionnaire based on the outcome of the pre-test (Brace, 2013). It is critical for the researcher to use an instrument that is proven relevant, regarding reliability and validity.
Description of the Intervention
The research aims at establishing the role of job satisfaction in the intention to leave the career of a nursing educator. Hence, the intervention includes implementation of a program to improve job satisfaction to establish the role it plays in the intention to remain or leave the career. Therefore, the compensation and working conditions improvement program will have such elements as increasing the compensation for nursing educators, enhancing a work-life balance to prevent burnout, and creating a supportive corporate culture. The factors are proven to play a critical role in improving the level of satisfaction (Derby-Davis, 2014). The outcome of the intervention will be tested to find out if the level of intention to leave increases, decreases, or remains the same after implementation of the program. For successful programs, it is expected that more nursing educators will show a desire to stay in the career following implementation of the program.
Data Collection Procedures
Data for the study will be collected in two phases. The level of job satisfaction will be tested from data gathered prior to implementation of the program to determine the level of satisfaction among participants. At the same time, data will be collected to test the level of intention to leave the career of a nursing educator before the program. The second phase will be a collection of data to examine the two variables a month after implementation of the intervention program. The data will be essential to show whether the level of satisfaction will have improved and if nursing educators displayed a decline in the level of the intention to leave. The researcher will collect data using the semi-structured questionnaires that will be self-administered (Brace, 2013). It is worth noting that the participants of the study will be nursing educators who have been in the career for a minimum of three years.