Learning a technical language: The modality effect in nursing students' retention of new vocabulary

Abstract

This study explores the modality effect as it applies to beginning nursing students, andwhether reading or audio recordings are more effective teaching formats for the highly technical vocabulary and pharmacological terms used in psychiatric nursing. Past research on health science students indicates that personal learning preferences may also have an impact on modality and learning. Nursing students have specific characteristics that influence personal learning preferences, and the use of digital audio recordings for learning, which also makes technical vocabulary especially challenging.