A Transformative Mixed-Methods Study: Legitimizing Affective Learning Outcomes Assessment

Tertiary educational institutions have primarily focused on assessing learning in the cognitive domain, concerned with the transmission and acquisition of knowledge and skills. Recently, educators and researchers have become more interested in the affective domain and how it affects student learning outcomes. Nursing programs’ accrediting bodies are increasingly incorporating affective learning outcomes (ALOs) in their criteria. Thus, examining how nursing programs assess ALOs gives insight into integrating affective-domain learning into curricula. This mixed-methods study examined current assessment practices to determine how extensively and effectively they are employed. Learning-outcome statements for 227 undergraduate nursing programs were evaluated for references to ALOs, to determine how widespread affective assessment was and which taxonomic-levels were common. A novel taxonomy was employed to categorize each program’s efforts, in hopes of identifying exemplary implementation. Analyses did not reveal any significant relationships for affective-assessment efforts with most National Center for Educational Statistics’ institutional characteristics nor Carnegie classifications. There was unexpectedly, however, a statistically significant F (3, 202) = 3.28, p = 0.02, η² =0.05 relationship between retention rate and ALO assessment efforts, marking the first empirical evidence linking affective-domain learning and student retention.