Determining Nursing Students' Dominant Learning Styles and Evaluating the Affecting Factors Using Decision Tree Method


SARIMEHMET D., BUÇAN KIRKBİR İ., Altinbas B. C., TORUN KILIÇ Ç.

JOURNAL OF COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE RESEARCH, no.2, pp.54-60, 2023 (ESCI) identifier

Abstract

Aim and Background: Identifying the learning styles is important to ensure full and effective learning in nursing students studying in a field that requires clinical practice and experience. For this aim, determined the dominant learning styles of nursing students and to evaluate the affecting factors using the decision tree method. Methods: The study was conducted with 421 students studying nursing at a university in Turkey. "CART", "CHAID" and "QUEST" decision tree algorithms were used to evaluate the factors affecting learning styles.Results: Of the students, 48% had visual, 36% tactile, 9% kinesthetic, and 7% auditory learning styles. In the decision tree model, living place and university entrance scores were found to have statistically significant effects on learning styles (p<0.05). Conclusion: This study determined that nursing students predominantly had the visual learning style and that the living place was the variable with the most pronounced effect on learning style.