Development of a Scale to Determine Enrollment Barriers into Allied Health Programs

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop the Scale of Allied Health Education Barriers to identify factors limiting enrollment in college/university allied health education programs. Development of the Scale of Allied Health Education Barriers was conducted through the following four stages: (1) review of literature, (2) focus group studies, (3) pilot testing, and (4) test administration and testing of measurement properties. Research participants (N = 1,044) were students enrolled in allied health and non-allied health education programs. Through conducting both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, this study identified five unique factors that are potential barriers to student enrollment in allied health education: Social Influence, Experiential Opportunity, Academic Preparation, Physical Self-Efficacy, and Self-Management. These factors were consistent with the social cognitive theory adopted to guide this study, which posits that personal, environmental, and behavioral factors collectively influence allied health enrollment. Further discussions are made on the practical implications of applying the developed scale to reduce barriers for allied health program recruitments.

Keywords:

• academic motivation
• college outcomes
• confirmatory factor analysis
• health education
• majors (students)

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

This study was funded by a Diversity Research Grant from the Tennessee Board of Regents.