Module 2 Discussion: Initial Post
Assessing Learners Without the Learning Styles Myth
When I precepted my first new graduate, the unit educator handed me a questionnaire to find out whether the new nurse was a visual, auditory or kinesthetic learner, so that I could teach accordingly. It felt respectful and personalized. After reading for this module, I no longer think it was useful, and I want to explain why, because assessing diverse learners well matters more than ever in nursing education.
The idea that instruction should match each learner's preferred style is known as the meshing hypothesis. Pashler et al. (2008) reviewed the evidence and set out what a credible test would require: learners are classified by style, then randomly assigned to different teaching methods, then given the same test. Learning styles would be supported only if the best method for one group were different from the best method for another. The authors found that studies with this design were rare, and those that existed largely failed to show the predicted pattern. They concluded that there was no adequate evidence base to justify incorporating learning-styles assessments into general educational practice.
Why the Belief Persists
The belief is nevertheless widespread. In a systematic review of 37 studies representing 15,405 educators in 18 countries, Newton and Salvi (2020) found that a weighted 89.1% believed in matching instruction to learning styles, with no evidence of decline in recent years; 95.4% of trainee teachers agreed. Encouragingly, brief educational interventions reduced belief by an average of 37%. The belief persists, I think, because people genuinely have preferences, and because matching feels student-centered. But a preference is not the same as a way of learning better, and time spent matching styles is time not spent on approaches with evidence behind them.
What to Assess Instead
Aspen's description of this course asks us to assess learners' characteristics, including learning preferences, critical thinking and literacy, and facilitating learner development is one of the core competencies expected of nurse educators (Halstead, 2019). I would keep preferences as a starting point for conversation, not a rule for instruction, and put more weight on factors that affect learning: prior knowledge and experience, reading and numeracy skills, language background, and any disabilities that call for accommodation. For content, the evidence supports matching the method to what is being learned, such as demonstration and practice for skills and cases for clinical reasoning, and using strategies with broad support, such as retrieval practice and spaced review, for all learners.
With my next new graduate, I plan to ask what they already know, what worries them and how they like to receive feedback, then teach the skill in the way that suits the skill. My question for classmates: does your school or unit still use learning styles inventories, and if so, how would you make the case to replace them?
References
Halstead, J. A. (Ed.). (2019). NLN core competencies for nurse educators: A decade of influence. Wolters Kluwer.
Newton, P. M., & Salvi, A. (2020). How common is belief in the learning styles neuromyth, and does it matter? A pragmatic systematic review. Frontiers in Education, 5, Article 602451. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2020.602451
Pashler, H., McDaniel, M., Rohrer, D., & Bjork, R. (2008). Learning styles: Concepts and evidence. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 9(3), 105-119. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1539-6053.2009.01038.x
How this N 580 Module 2 example is structured
Aspen does not publish N580 module prompts, so check your classroom for the exact discussion question. This example opens with a precepting experience, explains the meshing hypothesis and the evidence standard for it, reports how widespread the belief is, and offers an evidence-based alternative for assessing diverse learners, ending with a question for peers.
N580 Module 2 questions, answered
What does N580 Module 2 usually ask for?
Aspen's N580 description emphasizes learners' diverse styles and backgrounds and assessing learning style preferences, so a discussion on learner characteristics and how to assess them is a typical early module. Check your classroom for the exact question.
Is there evidence that teaching to learning styles works?
Reviews have not found adequate evidence that matching instruction to a learner's preferred style improves learning. Preferences are real, but matching them has not been shown to produce better results.
What should nurse educators assess instead?
Prior knowledge and experience, literacy and numeracy, language background and needs for accommodation, while choosing teaching methods that fit the content and using broadly supported strategies such as retrieval practice.
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