A Study to Assess the Learning Style Preference of Undergraduate Nursing Students in Southeast, Nigeria

Abstract

The paradigm shift in education today has placed great emphasis on learning activities rather than teaching activities. Therefore, identification of undergraduate nursing students learning styles preference is necessary for both teachers and students. It enables teaching to be tailored to correlate with the learning styles preference of the students and students can as well be empowered to use the learning style best suited to them to increase their acquisition of knowledge and skills needed in professional nursing. This study identified the predominant learning styles of nursing students in a tertiary institution in the Southeastern part of Nigeria and the relationship between their learning styles and some demographic variables. A descriptive survey method using Kolb's Learning Style Inventory version 3 (K-LSI version 3) was used for the study. The subjects of the study were 310 undergraduate nursing students from 2nd-5th year. The K-LSI identified nursing students ’learning styles as diverger, assimilator, converger and accommodator. An information sheet was used to collect demographic variables. In analyzing the data, frequencies, and percentages were used. Chi-square method was used to test for a relationship between learning style and the students ’demographic variables. There was relatively even spread of the four learning styles: Diverger, 29.0%; Assimilator, 27.4%; Converger, 25.8%, and Accommodator, 17.7%. There was a statistically significant correlation between identified learning styles and mode of admission (P = 0.020) as well as the year of study and learning styles (P =.000). The K-LSI provides nursing students with an understanding on how they might learn best and the divergence of learning styles have shown that a variety of modes of teaching should be used in meeting the learning needs of students for effectiveness and increased academic performance.