Matching instructional preference and teaching styles: a review of the literature

There has been considerable impetus in nursing education to identify ways of ensuring that students utilize fully their opportunities for learning and achieve their fullest potential. To this end an avenue of research has evolved which sets out to identify the preferred learning styles of students. Claims are advanced that matching these preferences with teaching styles is important for maximizing learning for nurses. An evaluation of the current research on learning preferences and matching teaching styles is provided using evidence from both nursing and non-nursing areas. What has emerged from this review is that the age of the learner may influence learning preference, and that individual rather than group characteristics must be considered. There are conflicting findings about the importance of matching learning preferences and delivery styles, but multiple approaches to the delivery of materials are generally advocated with both theoretical and clinical materials.