Identification of the Learning Styles and "On-the-Job" Learning Methods Implemented by Nurses for Promoting Their...

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Adult Learning Theory
• Professional Development

Background:

• Effective professional development is crucial for maintaining and enhancing nursing knowledge and skills.
• Understanding nurses' preferred learning styles can optimize educational strategies.
• Existing research has explored general learning styles, but specific on-the-job methods in nursing require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify the predominant learning styles among nurses.
• To determine the on-the-job learning methods utilized by nurses for professional growth.
• To examine demographic and professional factors influencing nurses' learning styles and methods.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 928 nurses from 11 Israeli hospitals.
• Utilized two validated questionnaires: Kolb's Learning Style Inventory (LSI) and the On-The-Job Learning Styles Questionnaire for the Nursing Profession.
• Statistical analysis was performed to identify differences based on various demographic and professional characteristics.

Main Results:

• The convergent learning style was most prevalent among nurses.
• On-the-job learning was predominantly driven by experiencing relevant situations, while formal resources (books, internet) were ranked lowest.
• Significant differences in learning styles and methods were observed across groups based on country of birth, gender, department, age, education, and role.

Conclusions:

• Nurses favor experiential learning over traditional resource-based methods.
• The findings underscore the need for nurses to take greater ownership of their professional development by enhancing self-learning capabilities.
• Tailoring professional development programs to diverse learning styles and demographic factors is recommended.