This document discusses student characteristics and learning theories relevant to nursing education. It describes the profile of contemporary nursing students, including that most are younger than 30, from Generations Y and X, and predominantly female. It also outlines characteristics like ethnicity, disabilities, substance abuse, and mental health issues. The document then explains several learning theories used in education, including behavioral, social/cognitive, cognitive, constructivist, adult, and humanistic learning theories. Educators often draw from multiple theories to design effective teaching strategies tailored to learners, content, and environments.

1. STUDENT CHARACTERISTICS
AND LEARNING THEORIES
B Y MI CHE L L E F L O R E S , C ON N I E HE C KMA N , N O AH S A R R ,
A N D E I L E EN SMI TH

2. PROFILE OF CONTEMPORARY NURSING
STUDENTS
According to Billings and Halstead
(2012), “The profile of nursing students
in the new millennium is markedly
different from that of the past” (p. 15).

3. STUDENT CHARACTERISTICS
Age
Different Generations
Gender
Ethnicity
Disability and Special Needs

4. AGE
According to the National League
for Nursing (NLN) in 2012, only
16% of baccalaureate nursing
students were over the age of
30.

6. DIFFERENT GENERATIONS
Generation Y Generation X
 Persons born between the late
1970s and mid to late 1990’s
 Technologically savvy
 Comfortable with multitasking
 Value doing rather than
knowing
 Work well with others as a
team
 Optimistic and realistic
 Rewrite rules
 Persons born between 1965 and
1976
 Comfortable with change and
technology
 “What’s in it for me?” attitude
 Have multiple role
responsibilities
 Reject rules
 Pragmatic and practical
 Latch-key kids

8. GENDER
According to the National League
for Nursing (NLN), only 13-14%
of baccalaureate nursing
students were males in 2012.

11. ETHNICITY
The NLN reports enrollees in
baccalaureate nursing programs in
2012 consisted of 12% African
Americans, 8% Asian or Pacific
Islanders, 1% American Indians or
Alaskan Native, 6% Hispanic and 6%
listed as other.

14. DISABILITIES & SPECIAL NEEDS
 Learning Disability
Physical Disability
Substance Abuse
Mental Health Problems

15. LEARNING DISABILITY
Generally defined as neurological disorders of the
brain that affects the way a person learns or
processes oral or written language and/or
mathematical concepts and reasoning (Frank, 2012).
 Dyslexia
 Attention Deficit Disorders
 Memory Deficits
 Difficulty with Reading and Writing

16. PHYSICAL DISABILITY
Generally defined as a motor (walking, lifting, standing and
maintaining stamina) or sensory (hearing, speech, vision
or respiration) impairments (National Organization of
Nursing with Disabilities, 2006).
 Impaired Vision
 Hearing Loss
 Speech Impairment
 Spinal Cord Injury
 Back Condition
 Arthritis
 Hemiplegic
 Asthma

17. According to the National
Organization of Nurses with Disabilities (2006),
“While the number of nursing students and nurses
with disabilities is unknown, based on national
prevalence estimates defining disability according
to functional limitations (e.g., limitations in
functional activities including hearing, seeing,
walking, speaking, lifting and carrying, and
climbing stairs) 33 million (16%) Americans, aged
15 and above, experience one or more limitation in
physical function”.

18. SUBSTANCE ABUSE
The 4th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders (DSM-IV) definition is as follows:
 A. A maladaptive pattern of substance use leading to clinically
significant impairment or distress, as manifested by one (or more)
of the following, occurring within a 12-month period:
 Recurrent substance use resulting in a failure to fulfill major role obligations at
work, school, or home (e.g., repeated absences or poor work performance related
to substance use; substance-related absences, suspensions or expulsions from
school; neglect of children or household)
 Recurrent substance use in situations in which it is physically hazardous (e.g.,
driving an automobile or operating a machine when impaired by substance use)
 Recurrent substance-related legal problems (e.g., arrests for substance-related
disorderly conduct
 Continued substance use despite having persistent or recurrent social or
interpersonal problems caused or exacerbated by the effects of the substance
(e.g., arguments with spouse about consequences of intoxication, physical fights)
 B. The symptoms have never met the criteria for Substance
Dependence for this class of substance.

19. According to the American Association of Colleges of
Nursing (2014), “Substance abuse and its sequelae,
addictive illness, can lead to serious physical,
psychological, and social problems ranging from loss
of employment to death. High school and college
students are in the segment of the population most
at risk: of the 13.9 million illicit drug users in the
United States, the highest rate of use is for those
between the ages of 16-20, the same age group that
includes the highest rate of heavy drinkers”

20. MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES
Depression
 Anxiety
 Bipolar
 Schizophrenia
 Addiction
 Eating Disorder
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

22. LEARNING THEORIES
“A learning theory is defined as a
coherent framework of integrated
constructs and principles that describe,
explain or predict how people learn”
(Keating, 2015, p. 65).

23. LEARNING THEORIES
Used alone or in combinations
Used by educators to facilitate the best
educational outcomes
Typically emphasizes the learner and
not the teacher

24. LEARING THEORIES
 Behavioral Learning Theory
 Social Cognitive Theory/Social Learning
Theory
 Cognitive Learning Theory
 Constructivist Learning Theory
 Adult Learning Theory
 Humanistic Learning Theory

25. BEHAVIORAL LEARNING THEORY
All behavior is learned, it can be shaped and rewarded
to achieve the desired outcome
 Pavlov and Thorndike established behaviorism in the
19th century
 Classical or Pavlovian conditioning
 Operant conditioning
 Reinforcement and Punishment
 Highly structured learning environment

26. SOCIAL COGNITION/SOCIAL LEARNING
THEORY
People learn rules, skills, beliefs, attitudes, and
strategies by observing role models
 This theory is attributed to Bandura
 Role modeling
 Observational learning
 Personal beliefs such as self efficacy
 Learning occurs in a social environment

27. COGNITIVE LEARNING THEORY
Focuses attention on internal, mental processes such
as thinking, memory, information processing, and
information organization
 Attributed to the work of Gestalt psychologists in
early 1900’s
 Students have an active role instead of passive role
 Strategies for presenting content in many ways that
foster memory and understanding
 Metacognition
 Transformative learning

28. CONSTRUCTIVIST LEARNING THEORY
Learners construct their own version of what they
learn and understand
 Based on the work of Piaget
 Learners are not passive
 Knowledge is subjective and personal
 Social interactions are a critical aspect
 Apprenticeship is supported by this theory

29. ADULT LEARNING THEORY
Adult learners bring vast knowledge and experiences
with a focus on real-world, relevant, practical issues
 Adults learn differently than children
 Problem centered and not content centered
 Faculty and learners work together
 Self directed
 Flexibility to focus on self goals

30. HUMANISTIC LEARNING THEORY
Focuses on the development of the individual, with
self-actualization as the highest attainable level
 Based on Maslow’s work
 Carl Rogers contributed to the theory too
 Emphasizes personal freedom, choice, self-determination
and self-actualization
 Goals are to facilitate the learner’s positive attitude,
self-esteem, responsibility and enthusiasm

31. “In the real world of complex clinical
sites and busy classrooms, educators
draw from a variety of learning theories
for the teaching strategies that are
appropriate for a particular course,
learner and content” (Keating, 2015, p.
65).

32. REFERENCES
American Association of Colleges of Nursing (2013). Race/ethnicity of students enrolled in generic
baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral programs in nursing, 2004-2013. Retrieved from:
www.aacn.nche.educ/research-data/EthnicityTbl.pdf
Billings, D. M. & Halstead, J. A. (2012). Teaching in nursing: A guide for faculty (4th ed.). St.
Louis, MO: Elsevier.
Frank, B. (2012). Teaching students with disabilities. In Billings, D. M. & Halstead, J. A. (Ed.).
Teaching in nursing: A guide for faculty (55-75). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier.
Keating, S. B. (2014). Curriculum development and evaluation in nursing (3rd ed.). New York, NY:
Springer.
Medicine Net (2014). Definition of substance abuse. Retrieved from:
www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=24405
National League for Nursing (2013). Annual survey of schools of nursing, fall 2012. Retrieved
from: www.nln.org/research/slides/index.htm
National Organization of Nurses with Disabilities (2006). NOND internet resource clearinghouse:
Regional demonstration project. Retrieved from:
www.nond.org/resources/CCT_Final_Report.pdf
Saylor, C. (2014). Learning theories applied to curriculum development. In Keating, S. B. (Ed.).
Curriculum development and evaluation in nursing (63-83). New York, NY: Springer.