Nursing Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Nursing, including details on health care, hospital staff, professional care.

The self-reported learning style preferences of female Macmillan clinical nurse specialists.

Astin F, Closs SJ, Hughes N

School of Healthcare, Baines Wing, University of Leeds, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS2 9OT, United Kingdom. F.Astin@leeds.ac.uk

Individuals typically adopt and prefer one or two learning styles and therefore, by default, remaining learning styles are underutilised. Insight into learning style preferences confers interpersonal benefits to both learners and teachers. Enlightened learners and teachers can identify their dominant learning styles and potentially strengthen underutilised ones. Findings from a retrospective study commissioned by Macmillan Cancer Relief that investigated learning style preferences of 137 female Macmillan Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNSs) showed that the majority (73.7%) displayed a strong-very strong preference for one or two learning styles. Mean scores across four learning styles were highest for the reflector learning style (mu=14.85+/-3.16) followed by theorist (mu=12.2+/-2.87), pragmatist (mu=11.5 (2.85) and activist (mu=7.95+/-3.11). An understanding of individual learning style preferences, particularly the strengthening of those that are underutilised is said to cultivate both flexible and resourceful learners and effective teachers. Such characteristics would confer considerable benefits within the remit of a Macmillan CNS position.

Published 2 August 2006 in Nurse Educ Today, 26(6): 475-83.
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