Nursing students' educational preferences for integrated teaching methods: A best-worst scaling study

Nursing education continues to struggle with integrating theoretical knowledge into clinical practice. Although various teaching methods are employed, insufficient attention has been paid to systematically assessing students' preferences and learning needs. Best-worst scaling, a rigorous preference assessment tool, remains underused in nursing education.

This study aimed to identify and prioritize nursing students' preferences for integrated teaching methods and to examine how these preferences vary according to key learner characteristics.

A cross-sectional study using a best-worst scaling case 2 (profile case) design.

A total of 264 undergraduate nursing students from two universities in Shanghai completed the survey, with a median age of 20 years, and 85.6% of the participants were female.

Participants evaluated 16 hypothetical teaching profiles, comprising three attributes with four levels each. Data were analyzed using a conditional logit model. Interaction analyses were conducted to examine preference heterogeneity by psychological state and academic stage.

Students demonstrated the highest preference weights for case method (β = 1.436, 95% CI 1.320 to 1.551) within the attributes of Basic Theoretical Knowledge, for case analysis teaching (β = 0.841, 95% CI 0.734 to 0.949) within Practical Application, and for open-book examinations (β = 0.437, 95% CI 0.332 to 0.543) within Assessment Methods. Interaction analyses revealed that late-stage students strengthened their preference for process evaluation (β = 0.412, p < 0.001) but showed attenuated preference for role-playing (β = -0.110, p < 0.001) compared to early-stage students. Learning burnout negatively moderated preferences for case analysis teaching (β = -0.026, p < 0.001) and the case method (β = -0.020, p = 0.004), whereas academic self-efficacy positively moderated preference for experimental reports (β = 0.020, p < 0.001).

The findings suggest that nursing students generally prefer interactive and applied teaching methods. These preferences suggest potential design considerations for learner-centered models. The educational impact of these preferred methods requires further investigation using objective outcome measures in future studies.