Application of the analytic hierarchy process to student decision making : a study of how Master of Science in Nursing students choose topics for Capstone projects -

Abstract

The purpose of this study was twofold: to determine whether Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) students find the AHP process helpful when choosing the topic for their three credit point capstone project; and to test the utility of an open source software package for conducting AHP (the Business Performance Management Singapore AHP Online System). Four students participated in the AHP process. All four students found the process helpful when choosing a project topic. One of the participants qualified this by stating only if the student was unsure about the choice of topic.The BPMSG was easy to use and resulted in individual and group decision making hierarchies. All four students thought that the AHP process would be useful for other students because it helps to recognize personal interests and priorities and to organize ideas. Relevance to my current job was found to be the top priority when deciding on project topic, followed by relevance to my future career . In descending order of importance other influences on selection of project topic are: Interest in the study population ; and Help me to get a better job . Neither the workload involved in completing the study nor the ease of writing up the results was a major influence on choice of project topic. Overall the findings of the study suggest that the AHP process may assist MSN students to prioritize potential topics when deciding on a focus for their capstone projects and that the BPMSG AHP Online System is suitable software for the analysis of AHP decision making processes; although some students will require assistance to use the software. It should be noted that the study was limited by the small sample size.