Learning Styles and Their Correlation with Self-Directed Learning Readiness in Nursing and Midwifery Students

Introduction: Self directed learning has become a focus of nursing education in the past few decades due to the developmental changes in Nursing and Midwifery. Also one of the factors effecting students' learning is their learning style. This study investigates the preferred learning style and its role in self-directed learning readiness in Nursing and Midwifery students. Methods: The statistical population in this correlation descriptive study included all undergraduate students (N=550) of Nursing and Midwifery in Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. A randomly stratified sample of 214 (%27 males and %73 females) received Kolb’s Learning Styles Inventory and Fisher’s Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale (SDLRS). For statistical analysis, descriptive statistics (Mean, and standard deviation) and inferential statistics techniques (t test, X2 , MANOVA, ANOVA) were used. Results: Response rate was %87. Mean scores of SDLRS in students according to their preferred learning styles were 177.12±30.23, 176.75±21.9, 176.33±18.95 and 186.14±17.55 for divergent, accommodative, assimilative, and convergent styles, respectively. According to ANOVA, these mean scores were not significantly different. Chi2 test showed that while there were significant differences between the frequencies of preferred styles, there was not a significant difference in the prioritized styles between male and female students. The results of t test and MANOVA indicated that there was no significant difference between male and female students in total SDLRS scores and its subscales. Conclusion: The first priority of the majority of students was assimilative style and also there were no significant gender differences in learning styles and SDLRS scores. Accordingly, it is recommended to more adapt and adjust teaching methods to these learning traits in students.