Padrões de aprendizagem entre estudantes de um curso de graduação de Enfermagem: uma análise na perspectiva do modelo proposto por Vermunt

Abstract

Introduction: The ongoing pursuit of educational quality and success has raised relevant questions about the learning patterns of university students. In order to answer these questions, the study proposed to analyze the learning patterns among students of an undergraduate nursing course from the perspective of the model proposed by Vermunt. Method: The study was conducted using a cross-sectional analytical design, which included 157 students out of a universe of 262, selected by probabilistic sampling per grade at the School of Health Sciences, between February and March 2024. For data collection, the ILS-60 (Inventory of Learning Style) version validated and translated into Portuguese was used, which addresses four domains of learning: strategies, regulation, orientations and mental models. Each domain is composed of scales, whose combinations originated the learning patterns: Meaning-Directed, Application- Directed, Reproduction-Directed and Undirected. The scales and patterns were analyzed for internal consistency, using Cronbach's Alpha. To identify the patterns, the agreement index was calculated, which varies from 0 to 1. Descriptive and inferential analysis (Fisher's Exact Test and ANOVA) followed. Results: Cronbach's Alpha of the scales and learning patterns showed internal consistency, with values between 0.50 and 0.75; 0.50 and 0.83, respectively. The agreement index was satisfactory, with values between 0.70 and 0.85, and standard deviation, between 0.03 and 0.11. Most participants were female (75.8%), aged 18 to 21 years (52.2%) and did not work (84.7%). There was a predominance of students with application-directed learning patterns (76.4%), followed by meaning-directed learning (12.7%). There was a statistically significant association only between the learning pattern and the sex variable. Conclusion: Considering the existing gap in Latin American literature on the subject, this study offered a significant contribution to the academic community dedicated to investigating the Learning Patterns model, with the aim of fostering educational quality and success.