AN EXPLORATION OF THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN DIAGNOSTIC REASONING ABILITY AND LEARNING STYLE IN UNDERGRADUATE NURSING STUDENTS.
Contributors: Boston College.
Published: 1987
Number of pages: 168
Subjects: Education, Tests and Measurements.; Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: This study was undertaken to describe and explore the relationships between diagnostic reasoning skills and learning styles in undergraduate nursing students. These variables were examined with reference to the role of the nurse in making clinical judgements or nursing diagnoses and the related need to assist the student nurse in his/her learning. The extraneous variables of SAT scores and grades on three nursing courses were also explored in relation to learning style and diagnostic reasoning skill.

The sample for this study was comprised of 126 upper division baccalaureate nursing students at one university in the northeastern United States. The subjects had completed their first semester of clinical nursing. Data were collected by self-completed questionnaires which included (1) Gordon's Diagnostic Reasoning Tool (DRT) and (2) Kolb's Learning Style Inventory (LSI). The theoretical bases for the study were Elstein's theory of medical problem solving and Kolb's experiential learning theory.

In the analysis of the data, the following procedures were performed: means, ANOVA and t-tests for examining differences among groups, and Pearson correlations for exploring the relationship between the variables. A probability of.05 or less was used as the level of statistical significance.

Undergraduate nursing students exhibited a diversity of learning styles. The preferred styles were assimilator and diverger, equally represented with 29.5%. Accommodator and converger styles were less preferred. This group was characterized as slightly more concrete than abstract and more reflective than active.

There were no significant differences among learning style groups on the DRT or the subtests of Concept Recognition, Concept Characteristics or Data Interpretation. The divergent group had a significantly higher score than the convergers and the accommodators on Math SATs.

In relation to the stages and dimensions of learning and diagnostic reasoning abilities, a low but significant correlation was found between the abstract conceptualization stage and the number of correct cues used. This was a similar correlation between the number of correct hypotheses generated and the abstract conceptualization stage. In addition, there were low significant correlations between the stages of active experimentation, reflective observation, and two nursing course grades.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 49-11, Section: A, page: 3342.

Thesis (PH.D.)--BOSTON COLLEGE, 1987.

School code: 0016.