THE PREFERED LEARNING STYLES OF NURSING STUDENTS AT THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY OF MEDICINE AND PHARMACY

Abstract

Background: Each individual may prefer one or several learning styles. This study aims to explore preferred learning styles of nursing students. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional research, 156 participants, who were the second-year nursing students at Thai Nguyen University of Medicine and Pharmacy, were surveyed by self-administered questionnaires. The assessment of learning styles was developed with the reference to the VARK questionnaire developed by Flemming. Students’ learning styles were categorized as Visual, Aural, Read/Write, and Kinesthetic style. Results: It was found that 32.7% of the students did not demonstrate clear preferences to any learning styles. While nearly one-half (28.2%) of respondents prefer one learning style, the percentage of students who were simultaneously interested in two, three, and four learning styles are 17.9%, 12.2%, and 9%, respectively. Notably, the results found no significant difference in students’ preferences to three learning styles, which were Aural, Read/Write, and Kinesthetic. However, there was significant lower score of preference of Visual style in comparison to all other three styles. Conclusions: The preferred learning styles are varied among nursing students. The faculty should not solely pay attention to any single learning style. They should design their teaching to meet students’ various styles, especially the Aural, Read/Write, and Kinesthetic preferences