Abstract
Introduction: Students use different learning style to understand the subject. The most common learning style are Visual, Audio, Reading and kinesthetic which are combined referred as VARK model.
Understanding the learning styles of students helps a teacher to plan a teaching – learning activity. A teacher would like to choose a teaching method which is suitable to maximum students to give maximum advantage to students.
Aims and Objectives: To identify the associated factors with these learning styles, in medical field.
Material and Methods: A cross sectional study was planned which included of 226 students from medical and para medical field. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire along with Version 7.0 of the VARK questionnaire in a printed form and was analysed in Microsoft Excel.
Results: Maximum (n=170) 75% students preferred multimodal style of learning. Amongst those who preferred unimodal style, number of students who preferred Aural was (n=23)10.13% comparable to those who preferred Kinesthetic was (n= 26) 11.43%, while very few preferred Visual or read and write style. Percentage of female students was more for aural and kinesthetic learning style as compared to males. Learning styles also differed with branch of study, with paramedical students preferring aural style as compared to those from MBBS course.
Conclusion: Teacher should modify learning style as per the preference of maximum students so as to give maximum academic benefit.
Keywords: Learning style, MBBS, BPTH, PBBS, VARK model.
References
- Guraya SS, Guraya SY, Habib FA, Khoshhal KI. Learning styles of medical students at Taibah University: Trends and implications. J Res Med Sci 2014; 19:1155-62.
- Duff Learning style of UK higher education students: Four studies of the reliability and replicability of the learning style questionnaire (LSQ). Bristol Business School Teaching and Research Review, 14 (3) (2000): 131-177.
- Norasmah Othman and Mohd Hasril Amiruddin / Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences 7(C) (2010): 652–660.
- Dunn, R. & Dunn, K. (2003). The Dunn and Dunn learning style model: Theoretical cornerstone, research and practical applications. In S. Armstrong, M. Graff, C. Lashley, E. Peterson, S. Raynor, E. Sadler-Smith, M. Schiering & D. Spicer (Eds.) Bridging theory and practice. Proceedings of the Eighth Annual European Learning Styles Information Network Conference, University of Hull, Hull, UK
- Fleming, N. D. (2007) VARK: A guide to learning styles. Retrieved 11-15-07 from http://www.vark-learn.com/english/page.asp?p=questionnaire
- Ismail, W. C. N., & Azman, N. (2010). Diverse learning styles of non-formal adult learners in community colleges in Malaysia. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences. Elsevier, 7, 139-144.
- A. Drago, R.J. Wagner. VARK preferred learning styles and online education. Management Research News, 27 (7) (2004): 1-13. CrossRef View Record in Scopus
- Ilic D, Hart W, Fiddes P, Misso M, Villanueva E. Adopting a blended learning approach to teaching evidence based medicine: a mixed methods study. BMC medical education. 2013;13:169.[PMC free article][PubMed]
- Tolsgaard MG. Clinical skills training in undergraduate medical education using a student-centered approach. Danish medical journal. 2013;60(8):B4690. [PubMed]
- Preeti B, Ashish A, Shriram G. Problem Based Learning (PBL) - An Effective Approach to Improve Learning Outcomes in Medical Teaching. Journal of clinical and diagnostic research: JCDR. 2013; 7(12):2896–7. [PMC free article][PubMed]
- Othman N, Amiruddin MH. International conference on learner diversity. Different perspectives of learning styles from VARK model. Procedia Soc Behav Sci 2010;7:652-60.
- James W and Gardner D. Learning styles: implications for distance learning. New Dir Adult Contin Educ 67: 19–32, 1995.
- Prabha V. Learning styles among the first year dental students. Int J Health Sci Res. 2013;3(9):22-28.
- Nkemcho Ojeh, Natasha Sobers-Grannum, Uma Gaur, Alaya Udupa, and Anwarul Azim Majumder. Learning style preferences: A study of pre-clinical medical students in Barbados. J Adv Med Educ Prof. 2017 Oct; 5(4): 185–194.
- Poonam Kharb, Prajna Paramita Samanta, Manisha Jindal,3 and Vishram Singh. The Learning Styles and the Preferred Teaching—Learning Strategies of First Year Medical Students(100 first semester medical students ).
- Buşan AM. Learning styles of medical students - implications in education. Curr Health Sci J.2014 Apr-Jun; 40 (2):104-10.
- Rathnakar P. Urval, Ashwin Kamath,1 Sheetal Ullal, Ashok K. Shenoy,1 Nandita Shenoy and Laxminarayana A. Udupa. Assessment of learning styles of undergraduate medical students using the VARK questionnaire and the influence of sex and academic performance Adv Physiol Educ 2014. 38: 216 –220.
- Huda Suliaman Alqunayeer and Sadia Zamir. Identifying Learning Styles in EFL Classroom. International Journal of Learning and Teaching Vol. 1, No. 2, December 2015: 82-87.
Corresponding Author
Dr Swati S Raje
Assistant Professor, Department of Community medicine, MIMER Medical College, Talegaon Dabhade, Pune, Maharashtra.
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.18535/jmscr/v7i12.61
