An Exploratory Study of Research Utilization by Virginia Nurse Educators

The purposes of this study were: to explore research utilization by three groups of Virginia nursing educators; and to determine if differences in stages of diffusion existed between nurse educators working in hospital diploma, associate degree and baccalaureate degree settings within the Commonwealth of Virginia. A stratified random sample included 28 hospital diploma, 41 associate degree and 37 baccalaureate degree nurse educators from the Commonwealth of Virginia, who completed the Nurse Educator Questionnaire (NEQ). Two free-response questions were used to identify factors which the nurse educators perceived as inhibitors and facilitators to research utilization. The results of a two-step mailed survey revealed no significant differences between the three groups of nurse educators on the basis of stages of diffusion. Qualitative analysis failed to reveal that the groups differed during the stages of diffusion on the basis of selected demographic characteristics. Implications for nursing education and strategies for improving utilization of research findings were discussed and recommendations for instrument revision as well as future research were suggested