East Tennessee State University Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University Electronic Theses and Dissertations Student Works 12-2020 Undergraduate Nursing Students’ Learning Style Preferences and Preferred Faculty Teaching Methods Compared to the Actual Methods Used by Faculty Linda Simpson East Tennessee State University Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.etsu.edu/etd Part of the Nursing Commons Recommended Citation Simpson, Linda, "Undergraduate Nursing Students’ Learning Style Preferences and Preferred Faculty Teaching Methods Compared to the Actual Methods Used by Faculty" (2020). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 3833. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/3833 This Dissertation - unrestricted is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Works at Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Undergraduate Nursing Students’ Learning Style Preferences and Preferred Faculty Teaching Methods Compared to the Actual Methods Used by Faculty ________________________ A dissertation presented to the faculty of the Department of Nursing East Tennessee State University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing ______________________ by L. Cathy Simpson December 2020 _____________________ Lisa Haddad, PhD, Chair Myra Carew, PhD Sharon Loury, PhD James Payne, PhD Keywords: generation, nursing student, teaching preference, learning style, teaching method ABSTRACT Undergraduate Nursing Students’ Learning Style Preferences and Preferred Faculty Teaching Methods Compared to the Actual Methods Used by Faculty by Cathy Simpson, MSN, RN Aim. The aim of this study was to examine the generational differences of undergraduate nursing students’ learning style preferences and their preferred faculty teaching methods to the teaching methods used most often by nursing faculty in the classroom. Background. Nursing educators are responsible for creating learning environments that are effective for students that are in different generations and nursing educational pathways. Each generational cohort brings a collective set of characteristics, expectations, and preferences to the classroom, challenging educators to balance the generational learning styles of all students with respectable, evidence-based, pedagogical approaches. This study was one of the first to explore Generation Z’s preferred teaching method preferences used in the classroom. Method. Both descriptive and inferential statistical procedures were used for this study. A one- sample Wilcoxon signed-rank test was performed to evaluate the difference between each of the learning style preferences, followed by a Kruskal-Wallis test that compared the generational differences to the learning styles. A Likelihood-ratio Chi-square (LR χ2) was performed to assess for association between generational cohorts and their preferred teaching methods used in the classroom. 2 Results. One hundred eighty-four undergraduate nursing students; and sixty-seven nursing faculty from ten Southeastern states were included in the sample for this study. Using the Index of Learning Styles® survey, results found nursing students had either a balanced active/reflective and sequential/global learning style, or a sensing or visual learning styles. With regards to preferred teaching methods, lecture, and the use of visual aids in the classroom were identified as the top teaching methods preferred by both student and faculty participants. Conclusion. Nurse educators are responsible for creating learning environments that are inclusive of students from diverse generational cohorts, spanning six decades and in multiple nursing educational pathways. These results provide new information for nursing educators to utilize in various academic settings. 3 Copyright 2020 by Cathy Simpson, MSN, RN All Rights Reserved 4 DEDICATION I dedicate the accomplishment of this dissertation to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Undoubtedly, God’s presence in my life was the sustaining force that allowed me to accomplish a task so dauntingly difficult. The completion of this dissertation is for His glory, not mine. To my parents, Jim and Ruth Simpson, who taught me the value of education and that any goal is achievable. Although you are not here to tell me in person, I know that you are proud of my accomplishments and are looking down from above with joy in your hearts. I look forward to our celebratory reunion one day in Heaven. To my family and friends for understanding when I said numerous times that I could not be there. Your love, encouragement, and unswerving support will be forever treasured. I could not have completed this journey without all of you! To my sweet, adopted parents in Tennessee, Don and Nan Gordon, who have believed in me and cheered me on from day one. I love you both! To Dr. DeAnne Messias for the inspiration to continue my educational trajectory and for our unwavering friendship. To my dearest friends Edwina Roller, Liz Watson, Kathryn Hill, Cheri Dawson, Elizabeth White, Gary Winton, Dr. Phyllis Adams, and Dr. Cheryl Hyland, I am forever grateful for your unconditional love and friendship. Your enduring words of encouragement and support helped bring this project to fruition. I love you all more than you will ever know. To my colleagues and friends at Calhoun Community College, thank you for your continuous support, encouragement, and friendship. You were my cheerleaders at the finish line that pushed me until the very end. To Dr. Cheryl Smith, and Dr. Deborah Henry, WE DID IT! 5 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my deep admiration and gratitude to my dissertation committee members for your patience, guidance, and expertise that you afforded me throughout this journey. Because of you, I have not only grown as a student but also have been inspired by the high expectations of academic excellence and lifelong learning that you have demonstrated throughout this process. To my chair, Dr. Lisa Haddad, thank you for your profound belief in my abilities and your gentle, repetitive nudges that kept me moving forward each time- even when I was ready to quit. Without them, I would not have completed this daunting task. To Dr. Sharon Loury, your words of wisdom, support, and passion for research have been my source of inspiration throughout my doctoral journey. To Dr. Myra Carew, thank you for stepping in and providing constructive, substantial feedback within a nurturing environment. To Dr. James Payne, thank you for your expertise, patience, and for reminding me to “relax” so I could focus on one statistical test at a time, which helped me further expand my knowledge about statistics! 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................... 2 DEDICATION ................................................................................................................................ 5 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................................ 6 LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................................ 13 LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................................... 15 Chapter 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................. 16 Background ............................................................................................................................... 18 Generational Cohorts ............................................................................................................ 18 Educational Pathways ........................................................................................................... 20 Ways of Knowing ................................................................................................................. 21 Statement of the Problem .......................................................................................................... 23 Purpose of the Study ................................................................................................................. 24 Specific Aims and Hypotheses .................................................................................................. 24 Theoretical Framework ............................................................................................................. 26 Conceptual Definition of Terms ................................................................................................ 28 Operational Definition of Terms ............................................................................................... 29 Assumptions .............................................................................................................................. 30 Limitations ................................................................................................................................ 31 7 Delimitations ............................................................................................................................. 32 Significance of the Study to Nursing .......................................................................................