title: Assessing Learning Styles of Graduate Entry Nursing Students as a Classroom Research Activity: A quantitative research study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A number of studies across different disciplines have investigated students' learning styles. Differences are known to exist between graduate and baccalaureate nursing students. However, few studies have investigated the learning styles of students in graduate entry nursing programs. .
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Study objective was to describe graduate entry nursing students' learning styles.
  A descriptive design was used for this study. The Index of Learning Styles (ILS) was administered to 202 graduate entry nursing student volunteers at a southwestern university. Descriptive statistics, tests of association, reliability, and validity were performed. Graduate nursing students and faculty participated in data collection, analysis, and dissemination of the results.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Predominant learning styles were: sensing - 82.7%, visual - 78.7%, sequential - 65.8%, and active - 59.9%. Inter-item reliabilities for the postulated subscales were: sensing/intuitive (α=0.70), visual/verbal (α=0.694), sequential/global (α=0.599), and active/reflective (α=0.572). Confirmatory factor analysis for results of validity were: χ2(896)=1110.25, p<0.001, CFI=0.779, TLI=0.766, WRMR=1.14, and RMSEA =0.034.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Predominant learning styles described students as being concrete thinkers oriented toward facts (sensing); preferring pictures, diagrams, flow charts, demonstrations (visual); being linear thinkers (sequencing); and enjoying working in groups and trying things out (active),. The predominant learning styles suggest educators teach concepts through simulation, discussion, and application of knowledge. Multiple studies, including this one, provided similar psychometric results. Similar reliability and validity results for the ILS have been noted in previous studies and therefore provide sufficient evidence to use the ILS with graduate entry nursing students. This study provided faculty with numerous opportunities for actively engaging students in data collection, analysis, and dissemination of results.
authors.affiliation: University of San Diego, 5998 Alcala Park, San Diego, CA 92110. Electronic address: lgonzales@sandiego.edu.
authors.forename: Lucia K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Gonzales
authors.affiliation: Glaser Consulting, 3115 4(th) Avenue, San Diego, CA 92103. Electronic address: glaserconsult@sbcglobal.net.
authors.forename: Dale
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Glaser
authors.affiliation: University of San Diego, 5998 Alcala Park, San Diego, CA 92110. Electronic address: lhowland@sandiego.edu.
authors.forename: Lois
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Howland
authors.affiliation: University of San Diego, 5998 Alcala Park, San Diego, CA 92110. Electronic address: mjoclark@cox.net.
authors.forename: Mary Jo
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.affiliation: University of San Diego, 5998 Alcala Park, San Diego, CA 92110. Electronic address: shutchins@sandiego.edu.
authors.forename: Susie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hutchins
authors.affiliation: University of San Diego, 5998 Alcala Park, San Diego, CA 92110. Electronic address: macauley@sandiego.edu.
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Macauley
authors.affiliation: University of San Diego, 5998 Alcala Park, San Diego, CA 92110. Electronic address: jclose@sandiego.edu.
authors.forename: Jacqueline F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Close
authors.affiliation: University of San Diego, 5998 Alcala Park, San Diego, CA 92110. Electronic address: noellel@sandiego.edu.
authors.forename: Noelle Lipkin
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Leveque
authors.affiliation: University of San Diego, 5998 Alcala Park, San Diego, CA 92110. Electronic address: kimfailla@sandiego.edu.
authors.forename: Kim Reina
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Failla
authors.affiliation: University of San Diego, 5998 Alcala Park, San Diego, CA 92110. Electronic address: raelenebrooks@sandiego.edu.
authors.forename: Raelene
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Brooks
authors.affiliation: University of San Diego, 5998 Alcala Park, San Diego, CA 92110. Electronic address: jillianward@sandiego.edu.
authors.forename: Jillian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ward
mesh_terms: D000124:Achievement; D000328:Adult; D004511:Education, Nursing, Graduate / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015402:Nursing Education Research; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000379:methods; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013338:Students, Nursing; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013850:Thinking; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Index Learning Styles; Index Learning Styles psychometrics; Learning styles; graduate entry nursing students; simulation