title: Learning Style Scales: a valid and reliable questionnaire.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Learning-style instruments assist students in developing their own learning strategies and outcomes, in eliminating learning barriers, and in acknowledging peer diversity. Only a few psychometrically validated learning-style instruments are available. This study aimed to develop a valid and reliable learning-style instrument for nursing students.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional survey study was conducted in two nursing schools in two countries. A purposive sample of 156 undergraduate nursing students participated in the study. Face and content validity was obtained from an expert panel. The LSS construct was established using principal axis factoring (PAF) with oblimin rotation, a scree plot test, and parallel analysis (PA). The reliability of LSS was tested using Cronbach's α, corrected item-total correlation, and test-retest.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Factor analysis revealed five components, confirmed by PA and a relatively clear curve on the scree plot. Component strength and interpretability were also confirmed. The factors were labeled as perceptive, solitary, analytic, competitive, and imaginative learning styles. Cronbach's α was >0.70 for all subscales in both study populations. The corrected item-total correlations were >0.30 for the items in each component.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The LSS is a valid and reliable inventory for evaluating learning style preferences in nursing students in various multicultural environments.
authors.affiliation: Nursing & Midwifery School, Zabol University of Medical Sciences, Zabol, Iran.
authors.forename: Abdolghani
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-7929-5539
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Abdollahimohammad
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Education, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Rogayah
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-2625-7720
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ja'afar
keywords: Inventory; Learning style; Nursing students; Reliability; Validity