title: A learner analysis experiment: cognitive style versus learning style in undergraduate nursing education.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not statistically significant differences existed among performance levels of beginning undergraduate nursing students when compared according to cognitive style and learning style subgroups. The sample consisted of 60 nursing students enrolled in an introductory clinical nursing course at a regional community college in the Southwest. Subjects were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups and were administered separate learner analysis instruments. The 30 students in the control group were given a cognitive style mapping assessment, while the 30 students in the experimental group were given a learning style assessment. The control group and experimental group were both given group interpretations of the learner analysis data. As with all nursing students at the College, the control group was allowed individual learning prescriptions by the instructor. The experimental group was allowed no further data interpretation. Both groups were to use the learner analysis data to assist them in completing the course. Performance data were collected during the ensuing semester from five evaluations covering specified modules: "Basic Human Needs;" "Professional Ethics and Communications;" "Emergency Care, Fluids, and Electrolytes;" "Death and Oncology;" and "Pharmacology." Analysis of the data with t-tests revealed no significant differences (p = .05) in performance among the experimental or control groups. Mean scores from the evaluation data did indicate a slightly higher performance level from the control group in four of the five modules.
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Cranston
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: McCort
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence; D003071:Cognition; D004507:Education, Nursing, Associate; D004521:Educational Measurement; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D011581:Psychological Tests; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods*