Learning styles of radiography students during clinical practice
Date
2009
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Abstract
The purpose of this study was to identify and describe the common learning styles of radiography students during clinical practice. Quantitative, descriptive research methodology identified the learning styles of radiography students. A single self-report questionnaire, developed to assess learning styles in clinical practice, was administered electronically via a Web page. The sample included 350 radiography students from Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology (JRCERT) associate degree programs in the United States. There were six subscales of learning styles identified: structure, integration, experimentation, authority, orientation, and approach. Findings found three groups of radiography students with similar learning styles: task oriented (n = 101), purposeful (n = 134), and tentative (n = 114). Students identified with the task oriented learning style were characterized by preferences to test ideas and draw on intuition and feelings during clinical learning situations. Purposeful learning style students were distinguished by preferences to plan, actively integrate theory and practice, focus on results, and trust in theoretical concepts. The tentative learning style students were characterized by preferences for more prescriptive and results oriented clinical learning experiences and moderation in other learning style elements. Radiography students as a group tended to plan more than improvise and actively rather than passively integrate theory and practice. During clinical learning experiences, they were inclined to focus on results more than process and were apt to rely on i themselves rather than depend on experts for guidance. There were statistically significant differences in distribution for gender, level in program, and age among the three groups of common learning styles. Findings found males were more likely to identify with the purposeful learning style and females with the tentative learning style. First year students were more likely to identify with the purposeful learning style and second year students with the task oriented learning style. Traditional students were more likely to identify with the tentative learning style and nontraditional students with the purposeful learning style. There were no significant differences in distribution associated with learning styles and level of education. Implications for practice include suggestions for students and clinical faculty to apply knowledge of learning styles to understand differences among students, to enhance discussion about learning, and to inspire creative techniques to facilitate learning during clinical practice. Findings offer possibilities for refining the questionnaire and directions for future research to improve teaching effectiveness and student achievement.
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Subject
community college education
educational tests and measurements
health education