Abstract
Background - This study explores the concept of learning styles and discusses the importance of pedagogical strategies that may influence the academic achievement of nursing students in their learning of bioscience and pathophysiology concepts. Bioscience and pathophysiology concepts are arguably a cornerstone of nursing practice (smales, 2010). Consequently knowledge comprehension presents a challenge when nursing students’ report experiencing difficulties in the amalgamation and integration of bioscience education with clinical situations (Smales, 2010). These difficulties include the academics teaching perspective, the learning environment, pre-existing knowledge, content delivery style and curriculum time. Miller et al., (2008), suggest that educational research in nursing should focus not on the volume of bioscience content learnt but should instead detail the mechanisms through which the student learnt the bioscience content. Therefore nursing educators may need to focus on the learning style and study strategies that nursing students employ and evaluate if these learning styles influence the students unit success.
Aim(s) and research questions - To review the interaction between learning style as an indicator of nursing student study methodology and correlate if learning style and associated strategy influence academic success in the bioscience units.
Research methodology - The literature review utilised an inductive approach allow themes from the literature to emerge. The search process utilised several databases, namely CINAHL, ERIC, Science Direct, Web of science, and ProQuest for various types of research papers related to the field of nursing bioscience education. After the duplicates were removed the citations of the included papers were also manually reviewed to ascertain literature relevant to the study. These papers were subjected to a critical appraisal utilising the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) checklist which resulted in 41 papers being included in the review.
Key findings and recommendations - Nursing academics are more aware of individual student differences, but how this manifests or influences learning style, and how learning style results in student success, have not been correlated or adequately integrated into a teaching program in the bioscience units of the nursing programme. Evaluation of nursing students learning style may provide valuable insight into whether the current teaching mode employed in tertiary education facilities are appropriate, or if academics need to address teaching and curricular development from a more holistic angle.