A study of leadership factors, retention strategies, and retention rates in Associate Degree Nursing programs

The purpose of this study was to examine transformational leadership practices of Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) directors, the relationship to student retention rates, and retention strategies used. The Leadership Practices Inventory-Self (LPI-Self) was used to measure the five practices of Kouzes and Posner’s transformational leadership model: modeling the way, inspiring a shared vision, challenging the process, enabling others to act, and encouraging the heart. Forty-nine ADN directors completed the LPI- Self with most participants reporting high to moderate scores. Directors most frequently reported behaviors related to enabling others to act. The lowest mean score was in inspiring a shared vision while the highest percentage of low scores was in challenging the process. A standard multiple regression was conducted to predict student retention rates from scores on the five leadership practices. Data analysis revealed no statistically significant relationship. Qualitative data revealed several themes regarding the use of strategies to enhance ADN student success: selective admission criteria, academic assistance, remediation, faculty-student interaction, and college resources. Directors from the top ten programs with the highest retention rates emphasized the importance of faculty-student relationships. Administrators from the ten programs with lowest retention rates reported using college resources to assist students more often than respondents from programs with high retention. Findings suggest faculty interaction with students may be more effective in retaining nursing students than using college support services. Implications for nursing education and recommendations for further study are discussed