Profiling learning styles and strategies of nursing students: A cluster analysis study

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Educational Psychology
• Personalized Learning

Background:

• Learner profiles are recognized in personalized education but underexplored in diverse nursing teaching modes.
• Nursing education requires critical application of theoretical knowledge to clinical practice.
• Understanding nursing students' learning styles and strategies is crucial for adapting teaching methods and improving outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore a nursing learner profile by analyzing learning styles and strategies.
• To provide insights for integrating diversified teaching modes with personalized learning in nursing.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 303 nursing students from two public universities.
• Data collection included sociodemographic information, learning styles, and learning strategies.
• Clustering ensemble analysis (voting and consensus matrix methods) was used to identify learner profiles.

Main Results:

• Analysis of 241 valid questionnaires revealed six distinct nursing learner clusters.
• Learner clusters differed in background characteristics, learning styles, and strategies.
• Most students favored blended online/offline and scenario-based simulation teaching.

Conclusions:

• The study underscores the heterogeneity of nursing learners and the necessity for personalized teaching.
• A defined nursing learner profile serves as a basis for developing tailored instructional strategies.
• Addressing individual learning differences is key to advancing nursing education.