Undergraduate nursing students’ personality and learning effectiveness in high-fidelity simulation education

Aim: To examine the correlation between undergraduate nursing students’ personality and high-fidelity simulation learning effectiveness. Background: Simulation is a fundamental approach in nursing education, with learning outcomes associated with various factors. Personality, reflecting on one's way of learning, thinking and behaving, is a potential factor associated with simulation learning. Design: A descriptive correlational study was conducted. Methods: 68 final year undergraduate nursing students completed an online survey following a high-fidelity nursing simulation. The five personality traits of neuroticism, extraversion, openness, conscientiousness and agreeableness were examined using the Neuroticism-Extraversion-Openness Five-Factor Inventory 3 (NEO-FFI-3). To investigate the relationship between personality and learning effectiveness, the revised English version of the Simulation Learning Effectiveness Inventory (SLEI) was also completed. Results: No significant association was found between the five personality traits and students’ simulation learning effectiveness. However, the SLEI subscale of ‘resources’ was positively correlated with the trait of conscientiousness (r = 0.248, p = 0.04). In addition, students’ nursing work experience was associated with their learning effectiveness in high- fidelity simulation. Nursing students scored the highest in the personality trait of agreeableness (35.04 SD 5.28) and the lowest in that of neuroticism (26.53 SD 7.33). Conclusions: Understanding personality assists in the application of best practice simulation for undergraduate nursing students. The design and implementation of high-fidelity simulation needs to consider students’ previous nursing work experience.