Impact of Blended Learning on NCLEX Scores and Subscores

The nursing workforce shortage is the biggest crisis that demands increased qualified licensed graduate nursing students. The shortage of licensed professional nurses has tremendously affected the quality of health care delivery. Subsequently, nursing schools are challenged to educate nursing students faster. Undergraduate nursing colleges have been challenged to educate more nurses faster to meet the increasing demands of qualified nurses in the workforce. Successful completion of the NCLEX exam is an entry requirement to practice as a registered nurse in the United States. The purpose of this quantitative, correlational research study is to compare the NCLEX score rates and sub-scores of psychosocial integrity and safety using data from multiple cohorts of the pre-licensure nursing program to evaluate the impact of the sudden transition from face-to-face (F2F) learning to a blended learning format. The study participants included students from the 2019 Spring and 2019 Fall cohorts who completed nursing in a F2F setup and 2020 Fall and 2021 Spring cohorts who completed nursing in a blended format. The pre-existing data of NCLEX scores and subcategory scores were obtained from two hundred and eighteen students enrolled in the F2F track, and two hundred and twenty-one students enrolled in the blended track of the nursing program. The pre-existing data obtained were coded separately in three sets using '0' for fail grade and '1' for pass grade to assess the correlation. The chi-square test of independence and Phi were employed to test the null hypothesis. The statistical analysis reported a significant difference in the NCLEX scores of the students, p < .001. Findings of the NCLEX safety and psychosocial subsection scores showed no ranked significant difference, p < .133 and p < .355. This study's results will help modify appropriate teaching-learning platforms to foster successful student learning outcomes and NCLEX success rates. Suggestions for future research include qualitative research to erase certain limitations, correlational studies including demographic factors, and a comparative study using a diverse, larger sample size. Additionally, as the global pandemic impacts this study, a follow-up study is recommended in the future to analyze NCLEX scores with sub-scores after the COVID pandemic. Keywords: Nurse education, NCLEX, COVID-19, Blended Learning, Exam scores. DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/13-6-02 Publication date:March 31st 202