Program evaluation in graduate nursing education: hardiness as a predictor of success among nursing administration students.

In an effort to develop meaningful program evaluation data, this exploratory study examined hardiness and stress among a select group of graduate nursing administration students at The University of Texas at Arlington in Arlington, TX. Students completed a questionnaire, which included the Hardiness Scale and Perceived Stress Scale, at both beginning and end of their program. Six to 12 months after graduation, each participant completed a telephone survey with items related to hardiness and American Association of Colleges of Nursing and American Organization of Nurse Executives core competencies. Mean scores for both hardiness and stress did improve from beginning to end of program; however, alpha coefficient reliabilities were disappointing, so no further quantitative analyses were completed. Most enlightening were the telephone interviews, which revealed that graduates were engaged in behaviors indicative of high hardiness. Use of hardiness as a guiding construct may prove useful to nursing administration program faculty in developing and refining a quality program; use of both quantitative and qualitative methods are recommended for obtaining meaningful program evaluation data.