Using VARK to assess changes in learning preferences of nursing students at a public university in Jordan: implications for teaching

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe learning styles of nursing students at a public University in Jordan.

Sample: A descriptive research design was used, a purposive sample of 197 nursing students who were enrolled in nursing summer courses. These students were at different academic levels.

Results: Almost 55% of students have a multimodal preference, about 60% of multimodal students have the kinesthetic learning preference (K) associated with visual or read write preference. The rest have one dominant learning preference. Of the 45% students who have one dominant preference: 60% had the kinesthetic preference as the dominant preference, and 40% had the auditory preference accompanied with another preference. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) revealed significant difference between students based on their academic level.

Conclusions: Nursing students have varied learning styles; teachers should accommodate their classes to meet the learning needs and styles of students. Multimodal learners can be more flexible about how they exchange information than those with a single preference. However, multimodal learners need to have at least two, three or four modes involved in learning before they are satisfied. Teachers at nursing program should use more than one teaching modality to be able to make their students satisfied with their learning experience.

Keywords: Jordan; Learning preferences; Nursing students; VARK; teaching.