Nursing students at a university - a study about learning style preferences.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Educational Psychology
• Learning Sciences

Background:

• Traditional adult education often employs a one-size-fits-all approach to teaching.
• Recognizing diverse learning style preferences is crucial for effective teaching and learning adaptation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe and compare the learning style preferences of final-year nursing students across two campuses and three semesters.
• To investigate potential differences between learning style preferences and students' personal characteristics.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted.
• The Productivity Environmental Preference Survey (PEPS) questionnaire was administered to 263 nursing students at a Swedish university between 2012-2013.

Main Results:

• The majority of nursing students exhibited flexible learning style preferences with minimal strong inclinations.
• Students with strong preferences favored high structure (75%) and the presence of an authority figure (40%).
• Auditory, tactile, and kinesthetic preferences were common (approx. 33%), while visual preferences were less frequent (8%).
• Few significant differences were found regarding campus, semester, prior schooling, or care experience.
• Gender differences emerged, with women more frequently reporting high motivation, auditory/tactile/kinesthetic preferences, and a preference for structure and mobility.

Conclusions:

• The Productivity Environmental Preference Survey (PEPS) enhances nursing students' self-awareness of learning strengths and weaknesses.
• Findings indicate a need for diverse and interactive teaching strategies, deliberate didactic actions, and conscious learning strategies for nursing students.