Enhancing nursing students' moral sensitivity through the World Cafe and ethical decision-making simulation to address diverse learning styles.

Teachers' instructional strategies and students' learning styles are key determinants of learning effectiveness. This study examined whether the World Cafe teaching strategy and the Four-Topic Approach to ethical decision-making could enhance outcomes in nursing ethics education. A total of 250 nursing students participated in this study. Two instructional strategies were implemented during the semester: (1) the World Cafe teaching strategy and (2) the Four-Topic Approach. Pretests and post-tests were administered. Learning-style classifications included visual (n = 106), auditory (n = 96), and kinesthetic (n = 124). Additionally, 50 students demonstrated a single learning style, 54 demonstrated two learning styles (eg, visual-auditory, auditory-kinesthetic, or kinesthetic-visual), and 56 demonstrated all three learning styles (visual, auditory, kinesthetic). Eighty-eight students could not be assigned to any learning-style category. Overall, 110 students (44%) exhibited two learning styles. Significant correlations were observed between the use of multiple teaching strategies and nursing students' learning styles (r = 0.352, p = .01), as well as between teaching strategies and moral sensitivity (r = 0.329, p = .01). Both learning styles and instructional strategies were associated with improved moral sensitivity scores. The findings suggest that integrating diverse teaching strategies - such as the World Cafe and structured ethical decision-making - can effectively enhance nursing ethics education. Tailoring instruction to accommodate students' learning styles may contribute to improved moral sensitivity among nursing students.