title: Factors associated with enrollment in allied health education programs: development of a predictive scale.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to identify factors related to a student's decision to enroll in college/university allied health education programs. The secondary purpose was to create a scale that can be used by colleges and universities to assess decision-making among prospective and current allied health education students.
  
  
  METHODS
  We identified factors and developed the scale in 4 stages: 1) review of the literature, 2) focus group studies, 3) pilot testing, and 4) administration of the scale and testing of measurement properties. Research participants (n = 1,123) were students enrolled in allied and non-allied health education programs in Tennessee.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, this study identified six factors linked to the decision to enroll in allied health education programs: personal influence, social influence, academic preparation, career opportunity, individual aspiration, and self-efficacy. Discriminant function analyses further revealed that these factors predicted program enrollment status.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although this scale may not be generalizable to all allied health education fields, it may assist universities and colleges in targeting and recruiting students into their allied health education programs.
authors.affiliation: Department of EXPW, Box 5043, Tennessee Tech University, Cookeville, TN 38505, USA. jpbarfield@tntech.edu
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Barfield
authors.forename: Mary Rhonda
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Folio
authors.forename: Eddie Tc
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: Lam
authors.forename: James J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000488:Allied Health Personnel / Q000193:education* / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D002321:Career Choice; D003625:Data Collection / Q000379:methods; D003657:Decision Making; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D008297:Male; D013714:Tennessee