Volume 22 Number 1
October 1982

Marilyn B. Fleming

WOMEN STUDENTS describe many difficulties while attending college (Aanstad, 1972; Berkove, 1976; Richards, 1976; Steele, 1974). This was a study to determine whether there is any relationship between problems experienced and ethnicity (Fleming, 1981). The target population was the multicultural student body of community college nursing programs consisting of primarily Anglo, Navajo and Hispanic women.

Many Navajo women today value higher education. Some have viewed education as a means of improving their economic status and that of the people, the Diné, and of the family. Nursing education has been offered on and near the reservation since there have been numerous job opportunities in local health care facilities with Indian being given preference for employment. Women also realize that there have been job opportunities in nursing elsewhere as well. In a 1974 study, it was recognized that the percentage of American Indians obtaining a nursing license showed a gain of 8% from the previous year (Alvarado, 1980). However, several studies have revealed that it may be difficult for the Navajo woman to go to college if this would cause conflict within her family; she may feel she is violating the universal law of harmony (Anderson, 1973; Rosenblum, 1980). Condie (1958) reported that parental attitudes have a significant effect on the Navajo students' level of educational achievement. Linda Edgewater, a Navajo graduate student, has described the stress Navajo university students experience as they become "caught in a maze of social acculturation" (1981). She explains how Navajos are taught that time is infinite, that one must cooperate with others, be submissive, humble, and sharing with others, must work to satisfy present needs, and be in harmony with nature. When attending Anglo schools, different qualities are emphasized; one must rush to meet time deadlines, be aggressive and competitive, plan and work for the future, and have mastery over nature. Acquiring a new set of values may mean rejection of the traditional set. This may cause disharmony within oneself which according to Navajo belief causes physical and/or mental illness (Edgewater, 1981).

Nursing frequently has been an area in which women from a lower socioeconomic area may seek upward mobility and it has also been under pressure to increase its minority members (Alvarado, 1980). Hispanics in comparison to other minorities have been the most proportionately underrepresented group (Alvarado, 1980). In a 1974 study of new nursing licenses, the percentage of Hispanics dropped from 2.1 to 0.3, a loss of 1.8%. Hispanics have comprised approximately 5% of the general United States population yet only 2.1% of the registered nurse population; American Indians make up 9.4% of the general population and 0.2% of the registered nurse population; Anglos make up 82.8% of the general population and 89% of the registered nurse population (Alvarado, 1980).

In comparison to the total population of women and to the Anglo population of women in the United States, both the Hispanic and Navajo women from the ages of 25 to 34 years old have been underrepresented in higher education (Table 1).

Problem perception was operationalized in this study through the use of the forced choice Mooney Problem Checklist (MPCL), College Form. The MPCL was chosen for this project because it is self-administering, consisting of 330 problem phrases which are directed toward problems people experience while attending college and which are comprehensible by people of varying backgrounds. The phrases are categorized into 11 different Problem Areas: (1) Health and Physical Development consists of such phrases as "feeling tired much of the time;" "being overweight;" "not getting enough exercise;" "not getting enough sleep;" and, "not getting enough outdoor air and sunshine." (2) Finances, Living Conditions and Employment has such problem phrases as: "too little money for clothes;" "receiving too little help from home;" "having less money than my friends;" "going in debt for college expenses;" "going through school on too little money;" and, "too many financial problems." (3) Social and Recreational Activities includes such problem phrases as: "not enough time to myself;" "too little chance to do what I want to do;" "too little social life;" and, "awkward in meeting people." (4) Social-Psychological Relations lists such problems as "being ill at ease with other people;" "having no close friends in college;" "missing someone back home;" "being left out of things;" and, "having feelings of extreme loneliness." (5) Personal Psychological Relations incorporates such problems as: "worrying about unimportant things;" "nervousness;" "finding it difficult to relax;" "failing in so many things I try to do;" and, "too easily discouraged." (6) Courtship, Sex, and Marriage lists such phrases as: "afraid of losing the one I love;" "disappointment in a love affair;" "wondering if I'll ever find a suitable mate;" "needing advice about marriage;" and, "wondering if my marriage will succeed." (7) Home and Family included such problems as: "being criticized by my parents;" "family quarrels;" "carrying heavy home responsibilities;" "clash of opinion between me and my parents;" and, "relatives interfering with family affairs." (8) Morals and Religion included such problem phrases as: "having beliefs that differ from my church;" "losing my earlier religious faith;" "doubting the value of worship and prayer;" "differing from my family in religious beliefs;" "don't know what to believe about God;" and, "science conflicting with my religion." (9) Adjustment to College Work has such phrases as: "not knowing how to study effectively;" "easily distracted from my work;" "having a poor background for some subjects;" "inadequate high school training;" and, "not spending enough time in study." (10) Future: Vocational and Educational listed such phrases as: "family opposing my choice of vocation;" "wondering if I'll be successful in life;" "not knowing what I really want;" "trying to combine marriage and a career;" and, "not knowing where I belong in the world." (11) Curriculum and Teaching Procedure dealt with problems such as: "hard to study in living quarters;" "teachers too hard to understand;" "textbooks too hard to understand;" and, "teachers not considerate of students' feelings." An addendum of 30 problem phrases to the MPCL, developed by the researcher, made up the 12th category of Previous Life Roles and consisted of a compilation of problems expressed by adult women college students in previous studies (Aanstad, 1972; Berkove, 1976; Brandenburg, 1974; Lantz, 1968; Richards, 1976; Steele, 1974). It was designed to address problems which may occur as a result of the woman assuming a student role while performing roles previously held. Included in this Problem Area were such phrases as: "marriage having difficulty;" "tension at home;" "lack of emotional support from spouse/family;" "guilt about children;" and, "culture at school too different." The checklist was preceded by a request for demographic data.

The checklist is considered a factor searching tool; therefore, traditional concepts of validity and reliability were not an issue. However, students have reported that the problems listed had a fairly complete coverage of their problems (Bunnett, 1975; Mooney & Gordon, 1950).

The total population of associate degree nursing students in four southwestern colleges was surveyed (N = 239: Program A, N = 15: Program B, N = 150: Program C, N = 34: Program D, N = 40). These schools were characterized by similar multicultural student populations. Of the 207 questionnaires accepted by students, 57% (N = 119) were returned.

Each student responded to each of the 330 problem phrases by: (1) omitting any mark; (2) marking the phrase as being a problem; or, (3) marking the phrases as being a problem of "most concern," called in this study, a "troublesome problem."

Data were processed by IBM 360 at the University of New Mexico using Statistical Programs for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 8 (Nie, Hull, Jenkins, Steinbrenner, & Bent, 1975). Appropriate tests were employed to determine whether a systematic relationship existed between the variables at the .05 level of significance. The strength of the association was then measured.

The multicultural variation of the female nursing students was: Anglo 68% (N = 78); Navajo 18% (N = 21); Hispanic 6% (N = 7) and Other 8% (BlackN = 2, Pacific Islander N = 1, Laguna Indian N = 1, Cherokee Indian N = 1, Hopi Indian N = 1, Creek Indian N = 1, Pueblo Indian N = 1).

The problems totally omitted by 95% or more of the students were listed in Table 2. It is interesting to note that problems which may be expected to have a relationship with ethnicity were omitted by most of the students. Included are such problems as: language difficulty, family opposing choice of vocation, being affected by racial or religious prejudice, teachers too hard to understand, culture at school too different, teachers too theoretical, and family's negative attitude towards school.

The 27 problems cited by 40% or more of the students were selected from the total group of 330 problems. Lack of time especially for activities not related to school, worry about exams, and complaints of physical and financial problems headed the list. Only one of these 27 problems had a relationship with ethnicity (Table 3). The students who were Navajo and Hispanic had a higher percentage marking "being overweight" as being a problem, than members of the other two groups.

In examining the relationship between ethnicity and Problem Areas, five Problem Areas had a significant relationship (Tables 4 through 8). In the area of Curriculum and Teaching Procedures, there was a higher percentage of high scores listed for Hispanics and persons of "Other" ethnic variations than for Anglos and Navajos (Table 4). In the area of Home and Family, students who were of "Other" ethnic variation had a greater percentage of high scores than do Anglos, Hispanics, or Navajos (Table 5). With problems resulting from Finances, Living Conditions and Employment, there was a larger percentage of "Others" with high scores, a larger percentage of Hispanics with low scores, and the distribution of Anglo and Navajo scores was somewhat similar (Table 6). Problems in the area of Personal-Psychological Relations had a larger percentage of Others reporting more problems, Anglos reporting fewer problems. Navajo students had moderate scores; that is, a large number of low scores with a moderate number of high scores (Table 7). In the Area of Previous Life Roles, there was a larger percentage of Hispanics and Others with a higher score. Navajos and Anglos had moderate scores with the largest distribution of their scores toward the mean (Table 8).

There was a relationship between ethnicity and grade point average (Table 12). There was a high percentage (66.7%) of Hispanics having a 2.51-3.0 grade point average. Percentages of subjects having a 3.51-4.0 grade point average was highest for Anglos (40%) and for Others (40%). Navajo students had the highest percentage of students having a 2.01-3.5 (58.6%).

Of other demographic variables studied, there was no correlation between marital status and grade point average, age and grade point average, or number of children and grade point average.

The findings of this study should be considered suggestive rather than conclusive because of the small size of the population groups: Navajo (N=21), Hispanics (N = 7) and Others (N = 8).

The problems frequently suggested as being prominent among students of ethnic minorities were omitted by most of the students, such as language difficulty.

Of the top 27 problems cited by 95% of the students only one had a relationship with ethnicity, that of being overweight.

Of the five Problem Areas having a relationship with ethnicity at the .05 level of significance Navajo students did report problems but not in greater percentages than did the other groups.

In the three Troublesome Problem Areas having a relationship with ethnicity, Navajos had a higher percentage of high scores only in Health and Physical Development.

In reviewing troublesome problem areas, three Problem Areas were associated with ethnicity (Tables 9 to 11). In Curriculum and Teaching Procedures, Navajos and Anglos voiced the fewest concerns (Table 9). In the Health and Physical Development Troublesome Problem Area, Navajos had the highest percentage of high scores; Hispanics had the highest percentage of low scores (Table 10). In the relationship between troublesome Home and Family problems with ethnicity, Anglos marked fewer problems. Others had more troublesome family problems, followed by Navajos and the Hispanics (Table 11).

There was a relationship between ethnicity and grade point average, with Anglos and Others having the highest percentage of students having a 3.51 to 4.0 GPA but with Navajo students having a high percentage of students having a 3.01 to 3.5 GPA (58.6%).

Those students who are not successful, who have "dropped out" should be questioned regarding problems to see if their problems differ from the students who remain in college.

Aanstad, J. A study of mature women at Santa Fe Junior College. The Florida Community Junior College Inter-institutional Research Council, January 1972. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 057 797)

Alvarado, A. The status of Hispanic women in nursing. In M. Melville (Ed.), Twice a minority: Mexican American women. St. Louis: C. V. Mosby, 1980.

Anderson, S. Song of the earth spirit. San Francisco: Friends of the Earth, 1973.

Berkove, G. Returning women students: A study of stress and success. Paper presented at the Annual Convention of the Western Social Science Association, Tempe, Arizona, April 30, 1976. Washington, D.C.: Department of Labor.

Brandenburg, J. The needs of women returning to school. Personnel and Guidance Journal, 1974, 53(l), 11-18.

Bunnett, N. Parental financial support and the financial and family problems of college freshmen. Journal of College Student Personnel, 1975, 16(2), 145-148.

Bureau of the Census. Characteristics of the population (Vol. 1). United States Summary, Sec. 2, Social and Economic Statistics Administration, 1970.

Bureau of the Census. Subject Report: American Indians. Census of Population, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1970.

Condie, L.R. The effect of cultural difference in the education of Navajo Indians. Prepared for University of New Mexico Research Study: The Adjustment of Indian and Non-Indian Children in the Public Schools of New Mexico, Miles V. Zintz, Director. September, 1958.

Fleming, Marilyn B. "Life and Role Problems Perceived by Adult Women in Associate Degree Nursing Programs," Masters Thesis, The University of New Mexico, December 1981.

Edgewater, I.L. Stress and the Navajo university students. Journal of American Indian Education, 1981, 20(3), 25-31.

Lantz, J. Attitudes and characteristics of the adult coed at selected universities. Paper presented at the American Personnel and Guidance Association Convention, Detroit, April 1968. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 022 211)

Mooney, R., & Gordon, L. A manual for Mooney problem checklists. New York: Psychological Corporation, 1950.

Nie, N., Hull, C., Jenkins, J., Steinbrenner, K., & Bent, D. Statistical package for the social sciences. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1975.

Rosenblum, E. Conversation with a Navajo nurse. American Journal of Nursing, 1980, 80(8), 1459-1461.

Steele, G. The mature woman at Skyline College, Research Report No. 1. San Bruno, California: Skyline College, 1974. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 129367)

Table 1
Percentage of Women 25-34 Years Old Completing
College Years by Ethnicity

Table 2
Problems Omitted by 95% or More

Table 3
Ethnicity and the Problem:
Being Overweight

Table 4
Ethnicity and Problem Area Scores: Curriculum
and Teaching Procedures

Table 5
Ethnicity and Problem Area Scores:
Home and Family

Table 6
Ethnicity and Problem Area Scores: Finances,
Living Conditions, and Employment

Table 7
Ethnicity. and Problem Area Scores: Personal
Psychological Relations

Table 8
Ethnicity and Problem Area Scores:
Previous Life Roles

Table 9
Ethnicity and GPA

Table 10
Ethnicity and Troublesome Problem Area Scores:
Curriculum and Teaching Procedures

Table 11
Ethnicity and Troublesome Problem Area Scores:
Health and Physical Development

Table 12
Ethnicity and Troublesome Problem Area Scores:
Home and Family