NRS 429 Provide A Summary Of Your Learning Style According The VARK

A learning style refers to how a learner best absorbs, processes, uses, and retains information. Learners process information differently and thus learn optimally. Learning styles comprise concrete experience, reflective observation, theoretical conceptualization, and active experimentation. The five learning styles that have been identified are Visual, Auditory, Read/Write, and Kinesthetic, resulting in the acronym VARK (İlçin et al., 2018). It is crucial for educators to identify a learner’s learning style to utilize teaching methods that maximize learning. Besides, learners can identify their learning styles to determine what study methods, learning environment, and activities enable them to learn best. The purpose of this paper is to identify those learning styles and its attendant elements via the analysis of the VARK questionnaire.

Personal Learning Styles According to VARK Questionnaire

As per the VARK questionnaire, my learning style is a very strong visual. My scores were: Visual-16, Aural-1, Read/Write- 8, and Kinesthetic- 5. Individuals with a very strong visual learning style prefer to learn from different formats, diagrams, graphs, maps, interesting layouts, and spaces. Individuals with this learning style use symbolism and various formats, fonts, and colors to highlight important points (VARK Learn Limited, 2019). However, the learning style does not include video and pictures that depict real images, and it is not visual simply because it is displayed on a screen.

Preferred Learning Strategies

A learning strategy refers to a person’s approach to organizing and applying a certain set of skills to learn information or complete other tasks more effectively and efficiently in academic and non-academic settings. My learning strategies include drawing symbols and pictures. I use symbols like exclamation points for vital information, question marks for confusing content or one needing further reading, and stars for content that I fully understand. Besides, I prefer illustrating complex concepts and processes. In addition, I use flashcards to help me remember key terms and crucial information. I also create charts and graphs, especially when reading information that can be organized as a graph or chart, since seeing information in a structured format helps in remembering. Furthermore, I create outlines to structure large amounts of information that I need to study using headings, subheadings, and bullet points, which helps prepare for tests and exams.

My preferred learning strategies compare to the identified strategies for the Visual learning style. They both involve drawing things, studying with plans, maps, and diagrams, and using written information that has graphs, charts, and diagrams. Like my strategy, the Visual style prefers a page to have a different layout, striking or unusual, which is often more essential than the content (VARK Learn Limited, 2019). Furthermore, both learning strategies prefer turning tables of figures into graphs, reading words and converting them into own-designed diagrams, and utilizing symbols.

Learning Styles Effect on Educational Performance and Importance of Identifying Learning Styles for Learners as an Educator

A learner’s learning style has a significant direct impact on their academic performance. The impact of the learning style on a learner’s personality is also significant. According to Cletus and Eneluwe (2020), what affects a student’s learning style and improves academic performance is no longer dependent on chalk, talk, and other learning material but on how the individual learns in the learning process. Each learner has a different cognitive ability and preferences in receiving and processing information. This is because some learners appreciate learning through visual (reading), some prefer learning through the verbal form (physical lectures), while others choose to learn by engaging or practicing what they have been taught (Cletus & Eneluwe, 2020). Therefore, a student will better process information if the teaching methods align with their learning style. As a result, when the teaching strategies match a student’s learning style, they process and retain information more effectively, positively impacting their academic performance.

It is crucial for an educator to understand students’ learning styles and preferences to help them learn effectively. By understanding the learning styles of each learner, it becomes easier for the educator to incorporate teaching styles using various techniques and approaches (Aboe, 2018). Besides, mastering strategies and methods for teaching influences learners’ ability to absorb, process, and retain the content and subject matter. In general, it is essential for the educator to apply combined teaching methods and strategies so that students with different learning styles can learn and retain the taught material effectively (Aboe, 2018). Furthermore, it is essential for the educator to utilize various teaching and to facilitate methods that stimulate and promote interactivity for learners.

Learning Styles and Health Promotion

Nurses occupy a critical role in patient education. To facilitate and support patients and

family decision-making, and to improve health outcomes, nurses are expected to

possess expert instructional skills.

Nurses play a critical role in health promotion. They are expected to have exceptional instructional skills to facilitate and support behavior change in individual patients and the community. Improving the effectiveness of health promotion efforts is a major goal for health care providers as it enables them to achieve the desired outcome. Identifying the learning style of patients and individuals in the community and then tailoring the teaching strategies to meet the individual styles increases motivation, improves retention, and makes the health promotion sessions more effective (Mangold et al., 2018). Furthermore, evaluating individuals’ learning styles and the context in which learning on behavioral change occurs, allows for a personalized approach that integrates teaching modalities that maximize patient learning.

Adults engage in health promotion programs to improve knowledge and change skills, behavior, and attitude. It is essential that the healthcare consumer is aware of the importance of health information since adults are motivated by their need to understand information (Mangold et al., 2018). Therefore, the nurse must be flexible in the teaching methods and vigilant in assessment to determine congruence between patients’ learning styles and learning outcomes from health promotion.

Conclusion

Learning styles include visual, auditory, read/write, and kinesthetic. A learning style is a strong cognitive tool that can impact learners’ academic performance if effectively adopted and well-managed. Educators should consider students’ learning styles and tailor teaching methods and strategies with this in mind to promote maximum learning. Nurses should also identify patients’ and individuals’ learning styles during health promotion to enable them to process the health information and modify their lifestyle practices.

References

Aboe, R. M. (2018). Correlation Between Students Learning Style and Their Learning Achievement. In Seminar Nasional Pendidikan Conference.

Cletus, D., & Eneluwe, D. (2020). The impact of learning style on student performance: mediate by personality. International Journal of Education, Learning and Training. https://doi.org/10.24924/ijelt/2019.11/v4.iss2/22.47

İlçin, N., Tomruk, M., Yeşilyaprak, S. S., Karadibak, D., & Savcı, S. (2018). The relationship between learning styles and academic performance in TURKISH physiotherapy students. BMC medical education, 18(1), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-018-1400-2

Ling, A. S., Basit, A., & Hassan, Z. (2018). Does learning style impact student academic performance. International Journal of Education, Learning and Training, 2(2), 1-13.

Mangold, K., Kunze, K. L., Quinonez, M. M., Taylor, L. M., & Tenison, A. J. (2018). Learning Style Preferences of Practicing Nurses. Journal for nurses in professional development, 34(4), 212–218. https://doi.org/10.1097/NND.0000000000000462

VARK Learn Limited. (2019). The VARK questionnaire. Retrieved from http://vark-learn.com/the-vark-questionnaire/

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