Productivity Environmental Preference Survey Research Articles

Correlations Between Clinical Judgement and Learning Style Preferences of Nursing Students in the Simulation Room.

Background:Health care educators account for variables affecting patient safety and are responsible for developing the highly complex process of education planning. Clinical judgement is a multidimensional process, which may be affected by learning styles. The aim was to explore three specific hypotheses to test correlations between nursing students’ team achievements in clinical judgement and emotional, sociological and physiological learning style preferences.Methods:A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with Swedish university nursing students in 2012-2013. Convenience sampling was used with 60 teams with 173 nursing students in the final semester of a three-year Bachelor of Science in nursing programme. Data collection included questionnaires of personal characteristics, learning style preferences, determined by the Dunn and Dunn Productivity Environmental Preference Survey, and videotaped complex nursing simulation scenarios. Comparison with Lasater Clinical Judgement Rubric and Non-parametric analyses were performed.Results:Three significant correlations were found between the team achievements and the students’ learning style preferences: significant negative correlation with ‘Structure’ and ‘Kinesthetic’ at the individual level, and positive correlation with the ‘Tactile’ variable. No significant correlations with students’ ‘Motivation’, ‘Persistence’, ‘Wish to learn alone’ and ‘Wish for an authoritative person present’ were seen.Discussion and Conclusion:There were multiple complex interactions between the tested learning style preferences and the team achievements of clinical judgement in the simulation room, which provides important information for the becoming nurses. Several factors may have influenced the results that should be acknowledged when designing further research. We suggest conducting mixed methods to determine further relationships between team achievements, learning style preferences, cognitive learning outcomes and group processes.

Student music teachers’ learning styles in theoretical and practical situations

This study analyzes and compares the results of a survey and an interview investigation concerning the learning styles of 32 student music teachers at The University College of Music Education (SMI) in Sweden. The students’ learning style preferences were examined through a productivity environmental preference survey (PEPS), a computer-based survey that is based on the Dunn and Dunn Learning Style Model. The students who completed the survey expressed a difference between learning something that was theoretically new and difficult and something that was new and difficult related to their instrument/singing. The surveys were then followed up by semi-structured interviews with 31 of the 32 students. The study found that there is only a minimal difference between practice and theoretical learning regarding the learning styles of student music teachers. The students’ procedure in theoretical learning was, as far as possible, the same as for practical learning, and it is the more practical and physical details that present obstacles. The practical relevance of the research is that it raises awareness for students regarding their learning styles and how they can streamline both their own learning and that of their future pupils.

Nursing students at a university — A study about learning style preferences

In most adult education, teachers use methods that assume all students learn in the same way. But knowledge of students' learning style preferences highlights the importance of adequate teaching and learning adaptation. The aim of the study was to describe and compare final year nursing students' learning style preferences in two campuses during three semesters. A further aim was to identify differences between learning style preferences and personal characteristics. A descriptive cross-sectional study using the Productivity Environmental Preference Survey (PEPS) questionnaire was conducted at a Swedish rural university. Three semester groups with 263 nursing students participated in 2012-2013. The majority of the students were 'flexible' in their learning style preferences and had none or few strong preferences. Students with strong preferences preferred high structure (75%) and an authority figure present (40%). About a third were highly auditory, tactile and/or kinesthetic while 8% were highly visual. Few significant differences were revealed between the groups of campuses and the groups of semesters or between learning style preferences and upper secondary school and care experience. There were no significant differences between learning style preferences and age and assistant nurse graduation. More women than men were highly motivated, auditory, tactile and kinesthetic and preferred structure and mobility. The PEPS questionnaire provides nursing students with self-awareness regarding their strengths and shortcomings in learning and teachers with a valuable and practical basis for their selection of adapted individual and group teaching methods. The findings suggest the need for wide variation and interactive teaching approaches, conscious didactic actions between cooperating teachers and conscious learning strategies for nursing students.

The Relationship Between Latino Students' Learning Styles and Their Academic Performance

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between Latino Students' learning styles and their academic performance. Students' academic performance was measured using their overall grade point average (GPA). A group of 229 Latino students who were enrolled at an urban community college in New York City participated in the study. Two questionnaires were used to identify Students' learning styles; the Learning Style Inventory (LSI) developed by Kolb (2000), and the Productivity Environmental Preference Survey (PEPS) developed by Dunn, Dunn, and Price (2003). The results of the LSI showed no relationship between Students' learning styles and their GPA. Results of the PEPS showed a relationship between four of the PEPS' elements and the Students' GPA. The elements of Responsible (r = .174, p = .015) and Design (r = .162, p = .009) positively correlated with participants' GPA. Conversely, the elements of Needs Mobility (r = −.137, p = .008) and Afternoon (r = −.175, p = .039) negatively correlated with the participants' GPA. This study reinforced the premise that Latino Students' learning styles must be taken into consideration when developing educational approaches geared to support their academic performance. Findings of the study clearly indicated that Students' academic performance is related to the way they learn.

The Relationship between EFL Learners’ Learning Styles and their L2 Achievement

This research aimed to determine if there are significant differences in learning styles of Iranian pre-university EFL learners across different levels of proficiency, majors and genders. Productivity Environmental Preference Survey (PEPS) was used to reveal the students’ learning styles. To determine their achievement in language learning, the proficiency test was administered. The results showed that the participants preferred visual style the most, followed by auditory, tactile and the least preferred learning style was kinesthetic. Though the tendencies were different, the success of these students did not show significant differences. Furthermore, major and gender did not affect the learning style preferences.

Learning Style Differences between Nursing and Teaching Students in Sweden: A Comparative Study

The teaching profession has been continually challenged to provide evidence of the effectiveness of teaching and learning methods. Teacher education, as well as nursing education, is currently undergoing reforms in Sweden. At the university where the research was conducted, teaching and nursing programs are two priority educational programs and maybe knowledge of learning styles can improve the quality of these programs. The purpose of this research was to examine the learning style preferences for two student groups, teachers and nurses, to analyze their differences in light of international research on learning styles. The study involved 78 teaching students and 78 nursing students. Twenty subscales of the Productivity Environmental Preference Survey (PEPS) (Dunn, Dunn, & Price, 1984; 1991; 2000) were used to identify the participants’ learning style preferences. The results showed statistically significant differences between the two student groups. In comparison to teaching students, more nursing students were highly motivated, kinesthetic, and preferred authorities. More teaching students were highly persistent. The findings suggest the need for widely diverse teaching approaches and conscious didactic action skills in higher education, as well as implementation of learning strategies for students.

Allied Health Students' Learning-Styles Identified with Two Different Assessments

This research identified and compared the learning styles of 154 ethnically diverse, upper division undergraduate and graduate students in Allied Health utilizing the Building Excellence (BE) (Rundle & Dunn, 2000) and the Productivity Environmental Preference Survey (PEPS) (Dunn, Dunn, & Price, 1996). Relationships among age, class standing, ethnicity, gender, and learning style also were examined. Correlation analyses indicated relationships between students' learning-style elements ( p < .001), with large effect sizes for Sound, Light, Temperature, Seating Design, Intake, Time-of-day and Mobility, Auditory, Tactile, and Kinesthetic preferences. Gender related learning-style characteristics revealed female preferences for learning by listening and male preferences for cooler temperatures, frequent movement, and learning in a pair or team during instruction. Analyses of variance and follow-up post hoc tests revealed significant age-related learning-style differences for Structure, Intake, Mobility, Early-Morning and Afternoon, and Auditory preferences.

Learning-Style Preferences of a Diverse Freshmen Population in a Large, Private, Metropolitan University by Gender and GPA

This research examined: a) the extent of diversity that exists among entering college freshmen's learning styles; b) whether, and the extent to which, learning style is influenced by gender; and c) whether high school grade point average (HS/GPA) is a determining factor in academic success. The Productivity Environmental Preference Survey (PEPS) (Dunn, Dunn, & Price, 2002) was administered to approximately 1500 entering college freshmen during orientation. PEPS data revealed statistical differences among students' styles for the elements of Sound, Light, Temperature, Motivation, and Responsibility. Pearson Correlations indicated that students with the highest HS/GPAs preferred either Learning Alone or with an Authoritative Figure and in the Late Morning or Afternoon, as opposed to the Evening while studying new and difficult academic material. Students with high, but not the highest HS/GPAs had strong preferences for Bright Light ( p < .049) and Formal Seating ( p < .001). Those same students simultaneously evidenced high Motivation ( p < .001), Persistence ( p < .001), and Responsibility ( p < .001) levels, and preferred Evening as their optimal time for learning challenging material. Students with the lowest HS/GPAs also preferred learning in the Evening, but with Sound (music or conversation in the environment), Bright Light and, although Motivated, required frequent opportunities for Mobility while learning. Concerning freshman gender differences, although male students indicated a stronger need for learning with an Authority Figure, they also were more Visual, needed more Structure and Mobility, and were strongly Afternoon learners in comparison with the females in this sample. Conversely, female students revealed higher means for Bright Light, warm Temperature, Formal Seating, Motivation, Learning Alone or with Peers, Intake while concentrating, and a Variety of instructional approaches (rather than routines or patterns). Consistent with female traits internationally, this sample of freshman women had multiple Perceptual Strengths. Thus, they were more Auditory, Tactual, and Kinesthetic, and consistently more Persistent and Responsible than their male counterparts. Another variable on which these males and females differed were females' preferences for learning in the Late Morning in contrast with males' preferences for Afternoon learning. Only the variable of Kinesthetic revealed pair-wise differences between students in the Colleges of Business and Professional Studies in contrast with students in the College of Pharmacy and Allied Health. This information should help administrators and professors to plan more appropriately when scheduling and teaching diverse students. It also should guide those students toward doing their homework with strategies responsive to their styles.

Using Learning Style Instruments to Enhance Student Learning

ABSTRACTThe emergence of numerous learning style models over the past 25 years has brought increasing attention to the idea that students learn in diverse ways and that one approach to teaching does not work for every student or even most students. We have reviewed five learning style instruments (the Kolb Learning Style Indicator, the Gregorc Style Delineator, the Felder–Silverman Index of Learning Styles, the VARK Questionnaire, and the Dunn and Dunn Productivity Environmental Preference Survey) in this article in order to describe the learning style modes or dimensions measured in the instruments; find the common measures and the differences; report on research on instrument validity, reliability, and possible improvement in student performance; suggest classroom activities that work with the different student learning styles; and recommend selection of models under several conditions. We also review one additional learning style instrument, the Revised Approaches to Studying Inventory, as a complementary approach to using one or more of the first five learning style instruments.

Conceptual and Measurement Properties of the Productivity Environmental Preference Survey as a Measure of Learning Style

The Productivity Environmental Preference Survey (PEPS) is one of a large number of learning style instruments used by researchers and practitioners to identify differences in the way adult students learn and study. The findings of this study using the PEPS suggest that the Dunn and Dunn Learning Styles Model is not conceptually well-defined. Factor analysis failed to produce the four hypothesized factors identified in the model as (a) Environmental, (b) Emotional, (c) Sociological, and (d) Physical. In the short term (8 weeks), the PEPS has fair test-retest reliability. However, over a longer interval of a year, the test-retest reliability of the PEPS is poor. For an instrument claimed to be measuring stable, inherent characteristics of an individual, this outcome is unsatisfactory. In terms of its utility, the PEPS is easy to administer and interpret. The PEPS variables are easily understood by both students and practitioners and, because an individualized profile is produced, it is less likely that students will be stereotyped on the basis of style using the PEPS than they will using the more simplistic bipolar conceptualizations of students' learning styles.

Learning styles and approaches to learning: distinguishing between concepts and instruments

Learning styles and approaches to learning represent two different perspectives on student learning processes that may influence academic achievement. The Productivity Environmental Preference Survey (PEPS) is used to measure 20 elements of learning style, and the Study Process Questionnaire (SPQ) to measure students' surface, deep and achieving approaches to learning and studying. Factor analysis of PEPS and SPQ data obtained from 400 Australian university students indicates that these two instruments measure two quite distinct conceptualisations of how students learn and that it is therefore appropriate to differentiate between the way students learn in terms of either style‐based or approach‐based constructs. Test‐retest reliability of the PEPS and SPQ produced from correlational analysis of data collected from two administrations of these instruments, a year apart, shows that approach to learning is relatively stable over time but that learning style, as measured by the PEPS, is not as stable a construct as its authors claim. Researchers and practitioners should take care to select instruments according to their intended use and to take into consideration the strengths and limitations of each instrument.

Learning Styles and Corporate Training

This study attempts to verify if occupational groups demonstrate distinct learning styles and learning context preferences, and to assess the implication of any systematic differences for corporate training. Subjects were 140 members of seven occupational groups from a support component of a Fortune 500 firm. Data on learning styles were gathered using the Gregorc Style Delineator (GSD) and the Productivity Environmental Preference Survey (PEPS). It was posited that learning style and productivity preference would vary by occupation, and that a measure of association would exist between learning style and productivity preference within occupations. Two of three hypotheses formulated for the study were supported by the data.

Reliability of perceptual learning style preferences of chronically mentally ill adults.

36 chronically mentally ill adults were administered the perceptual learning style items (auditory, visual, kinesthetic) from the Productivity Environmental Preference Survey. A retest was given 6 months later. Analysis showed that, although the instrument can be reliably scored, content and time sampling error more than account for the variance in these subtests. Self-reported perceptual learning style appears to be a transient phenomenon of limited practical utility in this population.

Learning Style Preferences

This study explored the learning styles of older adult females (65 + years) as compared to younger adult females (35-55 years) in the areas of immediate environment, emotionality, sociological needs and physical needs. At recreation community centers, 80 subjects were selected on a non-random basis, with one-half falling in each age category. Each subject was individually questioned using the Productivity Environmental Preference Survey, which analyzes a personal preference for each of 20 elements and identifies how adults prefer to function, learn, concentrate and perform in their educational or occupational activities. An analysis by t test showed a significant difference between the two groups in the elements of light, learning alone--peer oriented, authority figures present, and evening--morning. When the elements were combined and treated by discriminant analysis, most of these findings were confirmed, showing a significant difference in five elements: light, motivation, responsibility, learning alone--peer oriented, evening--morning. These findings might be useful to nutrition educators when developing nutrition programs for the elderly.

TEACHING STRATEGIES BASED ON LEARNING STYLES OF ADULT STUDENTS

One of the major purposes of community and junior colleges has been to provide easy access to postsecondary educational opportunities for a broad spectrum of the general population. Access alone does not justify the existence of these institutions, instead, successful student learning determines their worth. Achieving this success is no small task when the student population is largely non‐traditional both in age and experiential background. The study was conducted to examine the effect of adjusting teaching methods to coincide with the learning preferences of students enrolled in a small, predominantly black, community college. Previous research, conducted in elementary and secondary schools, had indicated significant gains in student learning as a result of this modification. The learning styles of students entering a freshman level social science class were assessed with the Productivity Environmental Preference Survey (PEPS). Students were assigned to experimental or control groups based on the result...