Perception of Plp Level I Nursing Student on Taking the Nursing Aptitude Test as Basis for Selective Retention Program free essay sample

PERCEPTION OF PLP LEVEL I NURSING STUDENT ON TAKING THE NURSING APTITUDE TEST AS BASIS FOR SELECTIVE RETENTION PROGRAM A Thesis Proposal Presented to College of Nursing and School of Midwifery In partial fulfillment Of the requirements for Nursing Research I By: Mark R. Antolin Cassandra A. Cabigas Mitchelle Frances Mae A. Camilon Isadel Angelic A. Chio Mary Grace C. Cuenca Mary Grace Joy T. Julian March 2011 Chapter 1 THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND Nursing education in the Philippines has earned a good reputation. Ruth Padilla, the past president of the Philippine Nurses Association coined that Filipino nurses are world class and it is a legacy to protect during a convention in Honolulu, Hawaii in January 2006 of the Philippine Nursing Association Phil. (PNA-Phil. ) and the Philippine Nurses Association of America (PNAA ). Although it was based on American nursing curriculum, it is never a mirror image reproduction according to Catherine Ceniza Choy . The Philippine schools / colleges of nursing made adaptations in its curriculum to reflect the needs of its patients. We will write a custom essay sample on Perception of Plp Level I Nursing Student on Taking the Nursing Aptitude Test as Basis for Selective Retention Program or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page As a matter of fact, the Philippines is one of the eight countries in the world ( the others are Canada, Sweden, Portugal, brazil, Iceland, Korea and Greece) which require a four year undergraduate education in order to practice nursing. Its admission standard has always been high that it produced nurses at the bedside that have established reputation of hard work, dedication and competence. March 2006, PNA-NY Newsletter, Wong, Clemencia, MA,RN) In 2001, When the United States announced the nursing shortage, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo announced government initiatives to ensure the production of top notch nurses who will have an easier time getting jobs overseas. The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) issued a memorandum on guidelines to be followed in the admission of professionals entering the nursing program. The Philippine Nursing Act of 1991 was repealed for a more responsive nursing profession ( March 2006, PNA-NY Newsletter, Wong, Clemencia, MA,RN) Due to the unabated rise in the number of nursing schools, CHED declared a moratorium on the opening of new schools, part of the nursing development plan to address the issue of quality of nursing education. This way, the Technical Committee for Nursing Education can concentrate on monitoring and regulating the schools that are open. Last 2006, development of the National Nursing Aptitude Test (NNAT) was ;planned. (Lorenzo, Marilyn, RN, PhD). The Nursing Aptitude Test is important in helping the student for them to decide whether nursing is the right career. It is based on applied sciences, Daily Life science, Communication skills, Mathematical skills, interpreting the written words and analytical reasoning. (Pataliah, B. A. 2004) Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Pasay (PLP), College of Nursing School of Midwifery (CONM) is one of the colleges that offer the nursing course. The College mission is to produce quality health care professionals through world class education and pursue a highly competitive skill in maintaining the ideals of the vocation of the future health professionals. And to fulfill this aim, the College is doing its best to train the students both in academic and clinical field. Because of this, the College strictly complies with the CHED memorandum and requirement on policies, standards and guidelines governing nursing students. One of the actions taken is the implementation of Nursing Aptitude Test. This will determine who among the freshmen will pass the exam in order to be a part of the selective retention program. This program allows only prospective first year students to continue to the second year level of the nursing course. This research is about the perceptions of the first year level nursing student of the Pamamtasan ng Lungsod ng Pasay about the nursing aptitude test as basis of the selective retention program. The researchers would like to determine the orientation, preparedness and how serious the freshmen are in dealing with NAT as a part of the curriculum. PURPOSE The purpose of this study is to gain insights on the perception of PLP level 1 nursing students on taking the NAT exam as basis for Selective Retention Program and whether their perceptions are influenced by their age, civil status, gender and National Career Aptitude Test result. OBJECTIVES The Objectives of the study are the following: 1. To gather perceptions of the level 1 nursing students on taking the Nursing Aptitude test (NAT) as basis for selective retention program in terms of their orientation, preparedness and seriousness. 2. To assess the student perception based in the area of orientation, preparedness and seriousness in taking the nursing aptitude test. 3. To establish the degree of relationship between the demographic profile, National Career Aptitude Examination and the perceptions of level 1 nursing students of PLP-CONM. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM The study will attempt to answer the following questions; 1. What are the demographic profile of the PLP Level nursing students with regards to: 1. 1age 1. 2civil status 1. 3gender 2. What are the National Career Aptitude Examination scores of PLP Level 1 nursing students? . What are the preparations done by PLP Level 1 nursing students in the areas of: 3. 1Orientation 3. 2Preparedness 3. 3Seriousness 4. Is there a significant relationship in the demographic profile, NCAE scores and perceptions of PLP Level 1 nursing students in NAT as basis for selective retention program? STATEMENT OF THE HYPOTHESIS H0: There is no significant relationship between the demo graphic profile, NCAE score and perceptions of PLP Level 1 nursing students on taking the Nat as basis for Selective Retention Program. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY This study will be conducted to gather the perceptions of the PLP level 1 nursing students on NAT as basis in the selective retention program. Students shall be informed on the possible consequences they will face if they either pass or fail from the said examination. A. Students The perceptions of the students about taking NAT will be heard and given attention. They can express their opinions and thoughts about the said matter which may be possibly influenced by their age, civil status and gender. The students will be able to understand the real purpose and objective of taking the NAT. Thus, it will help them become more oriented and get prepared before taking the said examination. Furthermore, it will open their minds and help them decide whether Bachelor of Science in Nursing is the right choice. This will enhance their decision making capacity about choosing their preferred career. B. Administration The president of the PLP, the Dean of the College of Nursing and School of Midwifery (CONM), the and faculty will be able to take action or respond appropriately according to the outcomes of implementing the NAT as a basis of selective retention program for those students involved in this program. The administration will be able to determine the perception of the students based in the area of orientation, preparedness and seriousness. The administration will be able to create more effective tool with regards to the implementation NAT as basis for Selective Retention Program. They can discuss ways in developing through orientation among the students prior to taking the NAT exam. C. Other Researchers This study can help other researchers to obtain further information about the outlook of nursing students in taking the NAT based on their age, civil status and gender and whether or not their perceptions are affected by these variables. SCOPE AND LIMITATION The research will be conducted in the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Pasay ,College of Nursing and School of Midwifery, P. Burgos St. Pasay City. The respondents are BSN level 1 regular students enrolled in the school year 2010-2014 and are qualified to take the Nursing Aptitude Test. The only demographic profiles that will be collected are the students age, civil status and gender. Their National Career Aptitude Examination scores will be required to determine the level of their intelligence. The perceptions that will be gathered are based on OPS (orientation, preparedness and seriousness) in taking the NAT. The perceptions of the students will be assessed and classified according to their age, civil status, gender and NCAE scores. Only questionnaires will be used to gather the pertinent information needed from the respondents. DEFINITION OF TERMS AGE It is an individuals development measured in terms of the years requisite for like development of an average individual In the academe, college students are within the adolescent age which is consists of 13-19 years old and young adulthood which is consists of 20-40 years old. BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN NURSING The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) is a four year academic degree in the science and principles of nursing, granted by a tertiary education university or similarly accredited school. CIVIL STATUS It refers to the materials status of a person, either single or married. LEVEL 1 NURSING STUDENT It refers to the freshmen nursing students. NURSING APTITUDE TEST The Nursing Aptitude Test (NAT) is used to measure the academic achievement level of students wishing to enter the nursing (R. N. ) program. PERCEPTION It is the process of attaining awareness or understanding of sensory information. PREPAREDNESS It refers to the state of being prepared for specific or unpredictable events or situations. It is an important quality in achieving goals and in avoiding and mitigating negative outcomes. SELECTIVE RETENTION PROGRAM It is the program implemented in the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Pasay, College of Nursing and School of Midwifery which is used to classify students who are capable of pursuing to the next level. Qualifying examinations in every year level must be passed prior to enrollment such as Nursing Aptitude and Achievement Examination. SEX It is defined as being male or female. CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE A. Foreign Literature Nursing service can be characterized as generous, loving and compassionate care. Nursing career is considered as a collaborative job because it involves a lot of team work especially with the other health care team members. A nurse performs different roles such as a discipline care giver, a counselor, a manager, a teacher, etc. Every action done should be focused on the bivalence of the patients. ( http://www. personality-and-aptitude-career-tests. com/nursing-career. html) During the past years baccalaureate nursing program enrollment, have increased. In 2001 the enrollees increased up to 3. 7%, in 2002 and 2003 it had also increased up to 8. 1 and 15. 9% consecutively (Health Care Financial Management Association and Group, 2006) According to Tony Abari in 2010, Aptitude Test measures a person’s acquired knowledge based on the past education and experiences before taking the test. It is used to evaluate a person’s ability to learn (Abari, 2010) And because of the said program anyone who does not pass the aptitude test will not be able to continue to pursue their dream. Because of this, different perceptions of the students have risen and they vary in varies to different sex, age and civil status. According to Jean Piaget, intelligence is not the same at different ages. It changes qualitatively, attaining increasing broader, more abstract and more equilibrated structure thereby allowing to different level of organization in the world. In his cognitive theory he created 4 stages of cognitive development the sensory motor stage, pre-operational stage, concrete operational stage and formal operational stage consecutively (Piaget 1980’s). In his formal operational stage which is the fourth and final stage of cognitive development in Piaget’s theory. Individual move beyond concrete experience and begin to think abstractly, reason logically, draw conclusions from the information available. As well as apply all this processes to hypothetical situations. During this stage the young person begins to entertain possibilities for the future and fascinated with what they can be (Piaget, 1980) Social status has been defined in various ways. Homans (1961) it suggests that the status of an individual is the complex set of stimuli that are evaluated by others as better or worse, higher or lower. Based upon an assumption that every single characteristic of a person differentiates individuals from others, Homans classifies status characteristics into three kinds: (a) characteristics of the individuals themselves (e. g. , attractiveness, age, sex, skin color, educational achievements, income, religion, etc. ), (b) characteristics related to relationships with other individuals, groups, organizations, or communities (e. g. seniority at work, authority, and marital status), and (c) characteristics that relate to others perceptions of the individual (e. g. , approvals and esteem) (Homans, 1961) Berger and his colleagues explain social status as status inequalities generated by expectations about future performances. According to Berger, social status can be categorized into two types: (a) specific status characteristics that are associated with specific expectations for dealing with specific abilities, and (b) diffuse status characteristics which people can infer general assumptions, such as individuals’ competence, ability, or value (e. . , race, class, education, age, occupation, physical attractiveness, and gender). Because of this it also affects the people on how they think. Social Status is one of the important factor in making decisions because when a person is single he or she can only think of his/her but when a person is married he/she needs to consider lots of this such as if her/his family can benefit on it. (Berger, Cohen, Fisek, 1974; Berge, Cohen, Zelditic 1972) B. Foreign Studies Nursing programs chose students by ranking them according to factors such as graduates in prerequisite classes and test score result. Students in various other programs also were required to take assessment test for course placement purposes. The said programs are allowed to continue requiring prospective student to complete science prerequisite course to be eligible to apply. Validation studies also must be conducted in order for district to require application to obtain grades higher than a â€Å"C† on perquisite classes. The above program shows the defined policies they implemented on the regulation of the selective retention program. It evaluated ranking of factors such as grades in prerequisite classes and test score result before letting the student to be undergone on the assessment exam, the national aptitude test. The validation study showed that the students who fail to satisfy such requirements are â€Å"highly unlike† to succeeding in nursing program (Paul Steenhausen and Steve Boiland, May 2007). According to Sarah E. Newton, PhD, RN and Gary Coore, PhD, RN in September 2009, there are 50% attrition rate of Bachelor of Science in Nursing Student nationwide. In decreasing attrition or loss of a student is BSN, Nursing Aptitude Test is now adjunct to scholastic aptitude data so that it can be vague knowledge about the reliability in using NT to predict the readiness of the students in National Council Licensure Examination. The study finding suggest that there is still a need for explanatory model in attrition of Nursing Student and this will also serve as a guideline in admitting students to ensure that students taking the NCLEX are from BSN program (Journal of Professional Nursing Vol. 25, Issue 5, Pages 273-278, Sept. 2005) According to Eme R, Maisiak R, Goodale W. June 2005, the two most worrisome problems among the early adolescents are careers and grades. The study emphasizes that these young men are not that focused on their study. Likewise, according to LeBow JA, April 2004, there are some factors that may affect the seriousness of adolescent adjustment reactions such as the framework of adolescent’s age, social situation, general stress factors, and developmental history. C. Local Literature Today, the Philippines is bloody full of nurses. Many nursing schools have busied themselves adjusting their requirements to fit the need of a new type of student. Middle age professionals seeking new, career are journalists, accountants, clerks, teachers, and doctors are some of the professionals that chooses to become nurses because of the high demand. (Santos, 2010) Because of this, the Philippine Nursing Board becomes strict in their policies and laws. They are the one who is responsible in maintaining the number of graduating students in the nursing field. As part of what they amended, the Selective Retention Program is a solution for the over population of the nursing students in the Philippines. (Santos, 2010) On March 10, 2009 Dr. Rizalina Mitra- Pangan used the the NAT as a criterion for retention in every college of nursing it was design to determine the students learning preferences and talents (Malimbag, 2009) Nursing Aptitude Test (NAT) measures the person’s acquired knowledge based on the past education and experiences before taking the test. It includes the subject, Math, English, Language and Literature, Science and reading Comprehension. Anyone, who did not pass the NAT, will be subjected for removal. Selective Retention Program is used in this type of deliberation. In nursing, Selective Retention Program (SRP) is the way how the institution identifies the candidates who are likely to succeed as nurses. By predicting the nursing student’s success even before, he or she begin the duty in the wards would give the students, the opportunity to enrich the quality of education offered to those candidate, most likely to succeed. (Schivley 2005) The NCAE was developed to assess the aptitudes of the fourth year high school students and guide them in choosing an appropriate career path after graduation. Unlike the National College Entrance Examination that was discontinued in 1994, the NCAE is used entirely for recommendation purposes in career guidance. Lapus stressed that the conduct of NCAE last August 2007 and the distribution of the individual results last November 2007 will give students and their parents time to choose career options vis-a-vis aptitudes or inclinations (Lapus, 2007). DepEd is currently implementing enhanced curriculum in some 261 technical-vocational secondary schools out of 5,078 public secondary schools nationwide to give students in these tech-voc schools skills training and a resulting wider array of life choices. Given the introduction of ladderized education, students may build on their skills acquired in these tech-voc schools and choose technical or engineering courses in college while some may decide to take post-secondary courses given by TESDA. The department of Education (DepEd) announced that it will be conducting the National Career Assessment Examination (NCAE) for fourth year students of public and private high schools on August 28. The NCAE, which replaced the National College Entrance Examination, was given for the first time in January 2007. D. Local Studies The Philippine Nursing Law, R. A. 877 was amended by the Philippine Nursing Act of 1991, R. A. 7164. The Law provides for the scope of nursing practice and specifies that for a nurse to be professional, he or she must acquire a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree, be physically and mentally fit and secure a license to practice nursing in the country. The BSN curriculum aims to produce a full functioning nurse who has developed a sensitive awareness to the health needs of society as well as commitment to the alleviation of problems arising there from, acquired the necessary skills, knowledge and attitudes for the promotion of health, prevention of illness, restoration of health and alleviation of suffering, and (3) developed a research attitude through the use of the nursing process. Such attitude, among others, leads to the utilization of research findings (Venzon, 196-197). A study conducted by Thelma Corcega and colleagues in 1999 on the supply and demand of nurses in the Philippines revealed that â€Å"In 1998, there was an estimated 323,490 registered nurses but the reported demand for nurses was only 178,045, 84. 75% of which was demand from international markets† (UP Manila Journal Vol. 5 No. 1, 2000, p. 1). It also reveals that a total of 16,240 Filipino nurses have been deployed abroad from 1998 to 2000. There were 13,608 professional nurses and 1,714 nursing personnel deployed to Saudi Arabia and 3,177 to United Kingdom. All of these nurses are graduates of nursing institutions throughout the country. It indicates that Filipino nurses who earned their degree from the Philippines are recognized abroad. However, the extent to which they remain competitive in this fast changing world is the accountability of quality education. (Philippine Maritime and Nursing Education: Benchmarking with APEC Best Practices; page 8-9 Veronica Esposo Ramire, December 2005) The exam evaluates students’ general scholastic abilities bur also adds several new test layers, including technical-vocational aptitude, occupational interests and entrepreneurial skills. The new test components allow parents and their children to assess career options based on the students’ skills toward any field of interest. It can also be basis for students’ goal towards college and possible entrepreneurial capabilities. The DepEd has also been pushing its Technical-Vocational (tech-Voc) program, which include special curricula that high school students can take to hone their skills in various fields. The program covers arts, electrical technology, welding, computers, software skills and technical drawing. (Villafania, 2007) According to Mamaoag and Magno nursing achievement test usually correlates other cognitive measures such as critical thinking, mental ability, grades with demographic factors such as age, gender and parent’s educational level. Dispositional factors such as nursing traits were nit explored during previous studies because concurrent studies were driven by the factors explained by other previous studies. This poses a need to explore and use ot5her kinds of disposition (Mamaoag Magno, 2005). Theoretical Framework Figure 1: Imogene King’s metaparadigm Imogene King formulated the Goal Attainment Theory, which focuses on creating a positive behavior that can be adapted to achieve goals. She defined person as social custom and belief through language. They exhibit common characteristics such as ability to perceive, to think, to feel, to choose between alternative course of action, to set goals, to select the means to achieve goals and to make decisions. On the other hand, she viewed environment as the process of balance involving the internal and external interactions inside the social system. Reactions from the interactions between the internal and external environment can be biological, Psychological, physical, social or spiritual. King’s model is composed of three interacting system namely the Personal, Interpersonal and social communication. These levels are independent and at the same time co-exist to influence over-all nursing practice. Specifically, in her personal framework, king stated how the nurse views and intergrades self based from the personal goals and beliefs. It includes perception, feelings, self body image and level of growth development. According to her perceptions is the process of human transaction with the environment. It involves organizing, interpreting and transforming information from sensory data and memory. Furthermore, King discussed interaction as a process of perce3ption and communication between person and environment that are goal directed. King also used the word action to describe the means of behavior or activities that are towards the accomplishment of a certain action. It is both physical and mental. The accomplishment of a task begins with mental action. Actions are aimed towards setting goals through communication between the nurse and the client then exploring and agreeing means to perform them thereby achieving the set goal. In relation to the formulation of an individual’s own perception by king, another theory describes how an individual was able to formulate his thoughts. Jean Piaget’s theory of Cognitive Development is a comprehensive theory about the nature development of human intelligence. It deals with the nature of knowledge itself and how humans come gradually to acquire it, construct it and use it. He developed the four main periods of cognitive development that varies through different stages of life and changes a person on how think and make decisions. In his fourth and final period known as the Concrete Operational Stage that commences at around 11 yrs. of age and continues to adolescent, individual move beyond concrete experience and begins to think abstractly, reason logically and draw conclusions from the information available. Through this theory it can be understood how adolescent differ from the one who are younger than them. Different ages have a different ways of thinking. People under Concrete Operational Stage are able to produce answer through hypothetical-deduction in which they use best guess. But some decision became different because of the future effect of it. Human have different perception and it varies through different age, sex and civil status. Father of Socio-biology Dr. Edward O. Wilson of Harvard University said that females tend to be higher than males in empathy, verbal skills, and social skills, While men tends to be higher in spatial and mathematical skills. By knowing the differences of the male and female according to cognition, we can identify the reason how they both differ in perception related to subject matter. (Wilson, 2005) Though the enactment roles, static social position is brought to life. According to the concept of the Role theory developed by Lindersmith and Strauss in 1968, a status may include number of roles, with each role appropriate to a specific social context. An individual occupies a status, but plays a role. Role behavior in any given situation depends on the status occupied by interacting individuals. The role an individual plays has a profound effect on attitude and behavior as well as self perception. Other theory that is involved in the perception of man is the cognitive-field theory which originated from gestalt psychology. The cognitive-field psychologist considers learning to be closely related to perception. They define learning in terms of reorganization of the learner’s perceptual or psychological world in his or her field. The field includes a simultaneous and mutual interaction among all the forces or stimuli affecting the person. Relationship of the Theories to the study Based o the Goal attainment theory of Imogene King, The primary person involved is the students. The students are rational human beings who are capable of communicating ideas and expressing their own thoughts. They have the ability to perceive things and select means to achieve their goals. The environment where they live influences the way they interact with other human beings. Students spend most of the time in their school, less in home. This kind of setting may influence how the student will react from the environment physically, emotionally, socially, mentally and spiritually. In relation to the personal framework of King, students may formulate perceptions based from their personal goals and beliefs. In formulating their perceptions in NAT as basis for SRP, the students may have different outlook in the topic because they will eventually have different plans in life. These are the factors that may affect the creation of perceptions among the Level 1 nursing students. These are the age, civil status, gender and NCAE scores. According to Piaget, when the person reaches his 11th year, he begins to think abstractly, reason logically and draw conclusions from the information available. Meaning those level 1 nursing students are already capable of perceiving this and becomes concerned with the hypothetical, future and ideological views. His perception in NAT in terms of OPS may depend on his age. The older the age, the higher desire the student has, to pass the NAT. In terms of civil status, the role theory suggests that the role that an individual play have a profound effect on attitude and behavior as well as on self perception. If the student is single and not engaged in any relationship, they do not have big responsibilities to hold. Dr. Edward O. Wilson of Harvard University discussed about how the gender affects the intelligence of a person. Females tend to excel in empathy, verbal skills, and social skills, while men excel in spatial and mathematical skills. The NCAE plays an important role in considering the cognitive function of level 1 nursing student. The NCAE scores of the students may reflect their intelligence quotient. The more intelligent the students are, the better perception he has towards NAT. Conceptual Framework SELECTIVE RETENTION PROGRAM Figure 1: Conceptual Framework The figure above shows the research study metaparadigm. The two circles represent the determinants for passing the Selective Retention Program (SRP). These are the demographic data and NCAE results. These circles are enclosed in a funnel which represents the NAT. This means that the determinants are properly filtered and selected to ensure the prospective students who will stay and continue in the second level of the nursing course through Selective Retention Program. The first circle is the demographic profile of Level 1 nursing students specifically age, civil status and gender. These data are factors that affect the creation of perceptions of students in Nursing Aptitude Test (NAT) as basis for Selective Retention Program (SRP). Age plays an important role in pursuing a career. The older the age, the more the person is eager to finish the study. Being a male and female is considered as one of the determinants in creating perceptions. It was believed that both have differences in their behaviour and how they think. Their biological factors affect the interest and sex role attitude. Civil status is briefly defined as being single or married. Married persons have greater responsibility compared to those who are single. Thus, it can affect one’s choice of career and eagerness to finish the college course. Second circle is the NCAE score of the students that may reflect their intelligence. The funnel is the perception on the orientation and preparedness of the Level 1 nursing students. Orientation is defined as the state of full mental function. Preparedness, on the other hand, is the state of being prepared for specific or unpredictable event or situation. The perceptions of students can serve as a baseline to assess and determine their preparedness and orientation about the significance of taking NAT. The output is the Selective Retention Program (SRP). NAT will be the sole basis of SRP. It will determine who among the students are qualified to stay and continue to pursue the nursing course. Chapter III METHODOLOGY Research Design Approach use in the research is descriptive approach which is use to describe and interpret points of view or attitude that are held or not held, practice that prevail or do not prevail, procedures that are continuing or otherwise, effects that are being felt or trends that are developing. The variables include the perception of PLP level 1 nursing students and the Nursing Aptitude Test as a basis for selective retention program. The students are subjected to undergo the Nursing Aptitude Test to determine and measure what knowledge the students has already acquired prior to taking the test and also as a basis of selective retention program by the administrator in anticipating academic achievement. Afterwards, the students are given a measurement tool provided by the researcher to determine their perception toward the relationship of Nursing Aptitude Test and Selective Retention Program and its effect to the students Instrumentation The researchers developed a student’s perception questionnaire validated by Dean Iris C. Castillon, RM, RN, MAN, MAEd. and Arcelli Francisco, RN, MAN to identify the student’s perception in taking the Nursing Aptitude Test. The questionnaire has both types of questions: Unstructured forms which are â€Å"open-ended† questions; and structured forms which are â€Å"close-ended† questions. This questionnaire will be provided by the researchers for the level 1 nursing students. They have to answer by filling up the blanks adjacent to the free response question. On the other hand, in close-ended questions, checking the appropriate response in each question will be the method of answering. Both will help the researchers to determine their perception in the Nursing Aptitude Test. The researchers ensure that the questions are organized into units and progresses from one type to another according to their relationship. It is also made simple and interesting to avoid too much time in answering the questionnaire and promote interest in answering. Data Gathering Procedure In order to conduct the data gathering procedure, the researchers respectfully approach the Dean of the College of Nursing of Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Pasay to ask for approval and permission, furthermore interview to the dean will be accomplished as part of the requirement in the research. Libraries, bookstores, and even website in the internet were visited by the researchers in collecting related literatures and recent studies from years 2005 up to present. This literatures and studies are used in evaluating its relationship to the research. Through the effort of the researchers, also with the aid of formal letter in asking for approval to different librarians, they successfully obtained essential information to formulate the research. Finally, researchers gave a questionnaire to the respondent in determining the perception of level 1 nursing students to the Nursing Aptitude Test as a basis of Selective Retention Program. Research Locale Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Pasay is located at Pasadena St. F. B. Harrison Pasay City. The College of Nursing and School of Midwifery is located at P. Burgos St. Pasay City. It is a government institution founded on 1994. On May 13, 1995, Ordinance 452 amended Ordinance 2712 stating among others, the power and functions of the governing body of Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Pasay. On September 17, 1996, Ordinance 665 further amended ordinance 271 establishing Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Pasay as a public educational institution. It stated that, by virtue of the provisions of the Local Government Code of 1991, the function of the municipal corporation is a dual in nature in that, one is governmental and the other is proprietary, thus making the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Pasay, operated by the city Government of Pasay, government in character. It, therefore, justifies the charging of its operational and maintenance expenses to the Special Education Fund. It offers educational programs at different levels from primary and secondary education, college degrees and graduate school. Sampling Technique Non-Probability Sampling is the technique use for selection of group to be studied. The method also referred as a purposive sampling, the research subject in determining perception to Nursing Aptitude Test as basis of selective retention program which includes all level 1 nursing students of Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Pasay with regards to certain characteristics such as age, civil status and gender. Statistical Treatment The data gathered from the survey will be analyzed and interpreted through the computation of the following: a. Mean The mean (or average) of a set of data values is b. Weighted mean The weighted mean is a mean where there is some variation in the relative contribution of individual data values to the mean. Each data value (Xi) has a weight assigned to it (Wi).