Relationship Between Nursing Students' Learning Styles, Empathy, and Cultural Competence : Is It Learned Or Naturally Formed?

Purpose: This study investigated the associations between learning type, empathy, and cultural competency of nursing students at C University in Korea. Methods: In total, 170 participants responded to a paper survey. Data analysis included t-test, analysis of variance, and stepwise multiple linear regressions. Results: The participants reported moderate levels of empathy (3.77 ± 0.38) and cultural competency (3.28±0.41), and the learning style of most of the participants was that of an assimilator. Cultural competency was positively correlated with empathy (r =.33, p<.01). However, no relationship was found between learning style and cultural competency. Empathy, media contact experience, and foreign language fluency were significant predictors of and explained 20.8% of the variance in cultural competency. Conclusions: Results showed a positive correlation between exposure to culturally diverse experiences (e.g., media contact, foreign language fluency) and cultural competency. Further study is necessary to explore the factors that influence cultural competency.