Understanding Learning Styles in Undergraduate Nursing Programs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: An Integrative Literature Review

Abstract

Background: In Saudi Arabia, nursing education is developing fast due to high nursing demand. Alongside this development, nurse educators must identify and understand nursing students learning styles to ensure the multidimensional development of students learning experiences. Students' preferred learning style is an essential element in determining students' unique ways of processing new knowledge, information, and skills. Objective: This literature review aimed to identify the learning styles of undergraduate Saudi nursing students based on the premises of three learning style models: Kolb’s Model, Felder-Silverman Learning, and Visual, Aural, Read/Write, and Kinesthetic (VARK) Learning Styles Inventory. Methods: An integrative review of published studies on Saudi nursing students' learning styles was conducted while adhering to predefined eligibility measures. The research strategy for this study was based on online international databases, such as PubMed, Medline, CINAHL, EBSCO, Google Scholar, and Saudi health databases and journals. The keywords used were: “nursing education,” “learning style,” “learning preference,” “academic learning style,” “undergraduate nursing students,” and “nursing students in Saudi Arabia.” Results: Seven studies met the inclusion criteria. Most of the reviewed literature reported a prominent preference for kinesthetic, accommodating, converging, visual, and active learning styles in nursing students regardless of their age, gender, and level of education in various universities in Saudi Arabia. Conclusion: Students learning styles emphasize the importance of practical experience and students' hands-on practice as the best style that improves nursing students learning experience. The Saudi Arabian education system must adjust to fit students' preferred learning styles and focus on advanced state-of-the-science learning tools in nursing education.