Determinants of Nursing Licensure Examination Performance among Nursing Graduates of Notre Dame of Jolo College
Abstract
Introduction: Nursing licensure examinations are important indicators of graduates' readiness for professional nursing practice and the quality of nursing education programs. Philippine Nurse Licensure Examination (PNLE) outcomes vary across nursing schools. Existing evidence indicates that examination performance is influenced by academic, institutional, psychological, and review-related factors. Aim: This study was set to examine the determinants of PNLE performance among nursing graduates of Notre Dame of Jolo College (NDJC) and explored how these variables cluster into broader dimensions of licensure readiness. Methods: A descriptive-correlational design was employed involving 265 nursing graduates selected through stratified random sampling, with graduation batch as the stratification variable. Data were collected using a researcher-developed questionnaire based on related literature and institutional indicators. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) using Principal Axis Factoring with Promax rotation was conducted to identify the underlying dimensions of licensure readiness. Logistic regression and multiple linear regression analyses were subsequently performed to determine the predictors of PNLE outcome and PNLE performance level. Results: EFA extracted six dimensions of licensure readiness, namely academic and cognitive foundations, instructional and institutional support, language-based clinical reasoning, disciplined study behaviors, psychological regulation, and review and practice strategies. Thereafter, reliability analysis of the extracted dimensions yielded Cronbach’s alpha coefficients ranging from .721 to .919. Logistic regression analysis identified general weighted average and nursing aptitude test scores as significant predictors of PNLE outcome. Multiple linear regression analysis identified GWA, NAT score, and psychological regulation as significant predictors of PNLE performance level, with psychological regulation contributing beyond academic indicators. Conclusion: PNLE performance reflects interacting academic, psychological, institutional, behavioral, and review-related dimensions. Academic competence was strongly associated with examination success, while psychological regulation contributed to variations in performance level. The findings may provide institution-based evidence for strengthening licensure preparation and psychological readiness initiatives in nursing education.