Estilos de aprendizaje y rendimiento académico en estudiantes de enfermería durante evaluaciones de simulación clínica

Introduction: Learning styles are cognitive, affective and physiological traits that indicate how the student perceives, interacts and responds to the learning environment. Understanding your own style and realistic simulation allow you to document the acquisition of skills. Objective: To identify the relationship between learning styles and academic performance of first-year Nursing students in the subject First Aids, using clinical simulation. Methods: Quantitative approach study with a descriptive correlational design. A sample of 68 starting Nursing students from Finis Terrae University was taken in the second semester of 2017, with a convenience sampling, using a universe of 75 students. Learning styles were measured using the CHAEA and Kolb instruments, validated in Chile. Performance was assessed with test notes and simulation workshops. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used for statistical analysis. Results: 80.88% of the students are women. The average age 19.5 years, while 17.65% of the participants are workers. The average marks for the CPR workshop was 6.29 (scale 1-7); for the integrated clinical simulation workshop, it was 6.27; and for the theoretical test, it was 5.6. A pragmatic style (52.80% high and very high) and theoretical (66.10% high and very high), according to Honey Alonso, predominated among the students; while assimilators and ushers predominated, according to Kolb. Conclusion: A correlation was observed between learning styles and academic performance. The study showed that the active experience with simulation improved the students' grades.