Determining Nursing Students’ Dominant Learning Styles and Evaluating the Affecting Factors Using Decision Tree Method

Abstract

Aim and Background: Identifying the learning styles is important to ensure full and effective learning in nursing students studying in a field that requires clinical practice and experience. For this aim, determined the dominant learning styles of nursing students and to evaluate the affecting factors using the decision tree method. Methods: The study was conducted with 421 students studying nursing at a university in Turkey. “CART”, “CHAID” and “QUEST” decision tree algorithms were used to evaluate the factors affecting learning styles. Results: Of the students, 48% had visual, 36% tactile, 9% kinesthetic, and 7% auditory learning styles. In the decision tree model, living place and university entrance scores were found to have statistically significant effects on learning styles (p<0.05). Conclusion: This study determined that nursing students predominantly had the visual learning style and that the living place was the variable with the most pronounced effect on learning style.