Learning styles among nursing students, the implications for higher education institutions: A systematic review
Abstract
Understanding the learning styles of nursing students has been highlighted as an area in
the scholarship of teaching that needs attention. The aim of this review was to determine
the common learning styles of nursing students and the appropriate teaching styles
needed. A search was conducted using various databases and journals for the period
from 2000 to 2013. Two reviewers independently evaluated the methodological quality
of the studies reviewed. The results are presented in a narrative. The 11 articles included
in the review represented four continents and were primarily descriptive studies. The
review highlighted that nursing students prefer the kinaesthetic and multimodal learning
styles. Kinaesthetic learners prefer live examples and lots of interaction. Interactive and
real-life experiences as teaching methodologies are the preferred methods of nursing
students and are seen as a holistic approach that incorporates all of their senses of
seeing, feeling, smelling, hearing and sometimes tasting.