scholarly journals Identification of Preferred Learning Style of Medical and Dental Students Using VARK Questionnaire

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Ayesha Fahim ◽  
Saba Rehman ◽  
Fariha Fayyaz ◽  
Mariyah Javed ◽  
Muhammad Anwaar Alam ◽  
...  

Students have unique preferences when it comes to knowledge acquisition, information processing, retention in memory, and recall. This study is aimed at examining the preferred learning styles of medical and dental undergraduate students of Pakistan. It is also aimed at investigating the influence of gender, preclinical or clinical academic year, and academic record on the preferred learning style. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in Pakistan. The learning styles of undergraduate students were identified using visual, aural, read/write, and kinesthetic (VARK) questionnaire. Students were also asked about their satisfaction towards teaching style of their teachers in institute. Descriptive statistics were done to characterize the learning styles of the students. The Fisher test and chi-square test were used to compare the learning preferences between genders and public/private sector students and among preclinical/clinical years. A p value of less than 0.05 was considered significant. A total of 1473 students participated in the study. Among the students, 39.37% preferred unimodal learning style whereas 60.62% preferred multimodal style. Kinesthetic (K) and visual (V) were the most preferred unimodal styles. The preferred learning styles of female students are aural (A), visual (V), and kinesthetic (K), whereas male students preferred visual (V) and kinesthetic more (K). Students with lower academic record chose unimodal styles in comparison to high achievers that chose multimodal styles. Students of clinical year preferred multimodal and quadmodal styles in comparison to preclinical year students. An alarming 78% of students were dissatisfied with their teacher’s instructional style. Majority of students prefer multimodal learning styles over unimodal style. Gender, public/private sector, and academic record have influence on the preference of learning styles. Majority of the students are dissatisfied with their teacher’s instructional style and rely on social media platforms for understanding. Academics need to adapt their teaching methods according to student preferences in order to get better graduates.

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (10) ◽  
pp. 01-12
Author(s):  
Noor Nasyikin Md Zain ◽  
Fazilah Tamsir ◽  
Noor Ayuernie Ibrahim ◽  
Halimi Poniran ◽  
Amirul Syafiq Mohd Ghazali

The objectives of this study are twofold: (a) to examine the influence of students’ learning styles on their academic performance; and (b) to identifies the preferred learning styles of students between high/low achievers, gender, and different clusters. By using VARK standard questionnaire, 433 undergraduate students from four faculties at the Private University in Selangor are used as observations for this study. The study finds that all students were unimodal learners and Kinesthetic (K) type of learning style is the learner type with the most number of students. High achievers are preferred Kinesthetic (K) learning style while Read/Write (R) learning style is more practiced by students with low achievement. Male students are more preferred Kinesthetic (K) learning style, but female students had a preference for Visual (V) learning style. Social science students are more preferred an Aural (A) as compared to the pure science students which are more preferred Read/Write (R) learning style. Further, this study confirms that Visual (V) and Kinesthetic (K) learning style preferences are positively and significantly influence students’ academic performance. This indicates that different subjects required different kinds of learning styles and instructions to optimally potentiate and benefit the students. This result is consistent with the “Meshing Hypothesis” which states that the learning outcomes could be highly achieved if learning was matched with a predominant learning style of the learner. This study gives a better representation of the current situation in the learning preferences among undergraduate students in Malaysia.


2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 103-141
Author(s):  
Nakhornsri Supalak

AbstractLearning styles have been a particular focus of a number of researchers over the past decades. Findings from various studies researching into how students learn highlight significant relationships between learners’ styles of learning and their language learning processes and achievement. This research focuses on a comparative analysis of the preferences of English learning styles and teaching techniques perceived by students from Thailand and Vietnam, and the teaching styles and techniques practiced by their instructors. The purposes were 1) to investigate the learning styles and teaching techniques students from both countries preferred, 2) to investigate the compatibility of the teaching styles and techniques practiced by instructors and those preferred by the students, 3) to specify the learning styles and teaching techniques students with high level of English proficiency preferred, and 4) to investigate the similarities of Thai and Vietnamese students’ preferences for learning styles and teaching techniques. The sample consisted of two main groups: 1) undergraduate students from King Mongkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok (KMUTNB), Thailand and Thai Nguyen University (TNU), Vietnam and 2) English instructors from both institutions. The instruments employed comprised the Students’ Preferred English Learning Style and Teaching Technique Questionnaire and the Teachers’ Practiced English Teaching Style and Technique Questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed using arithmetic means and standard deviation. The findings can contribute to the curriculum development and assist teachers to teach outside their comfort level to match the students’ preferred learning styles. In addition, the findings could better promote the courses provided for students. By understanding the learning style make-up of the students enrolled in the courses, faculty can adjust their modes of content delivery to match student preferences and maximize student learning. Finally, this research could establish better understanding between language learning natures of people from Thailand and Vietnam.


Author(s):  
Najmeh Akhlaghi ◽  
Hosein Mirkazemi ◽  
Mehdi Jafarzade ◽  
Narjes Akhlaghi

Purpose: The present study aimed to identify the learning preferences of dental students and to characterize their relationship with academic performance at a dental school in Isfahan, Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study included 200 undergraduate dental students from October to November 2016. Data were collected using a 2-part questionnaire. The first part included demographic data, and the second part was a Persian-language version of the visual, aural, read/write, and kinesthetic questionnaire. Data analysis was conducted with the chi-square test, 1-way analysis of variance, and multiple linear regression. Results: The response rate was 86.6%. Approximately half of the students (51.5%) had multimodal learning preferences. Among the unimodal group (48.5%), the most common mode was aural (24.0%), followed by kinesthetic (15.5%), reading-writing (8.0%), and visual (1.0%). There was a significant association between academic performance and the reading/writing learning style preference (P< 0.01). Conclusion: Multimodal learning styles were the most preferred. Among single-mode learning styles, the aural style was most common, followed by the kinesthetic style. Students with a reading/writing preference had better academic performance. The results of this study provide useful information for preparing a more problem-based curriculum with active learning strategies.


2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 30
Author(s):  
Wafa Ismail Saud

The aim of the study was to investigate the preferred learning styles of undergraduate Saudi students at King Khalid University, Saudi Arabia and to examine the influence of achievement level on the choice of learning styles. A total of 110 undergraduate students participated in the study. They were in their third year of study and were majoring in English. Data was collected by means of a questionnaire and by an English achievement test. Reid&rsquo;s (1987) questionnaire was used to determine the students&rsquo; preferred learning styles. It identifies six learning styles referred to as perceptual learning styles; they are visual learners, auditory learners, kinesthetic learners, tactile learners, group learners and individual learners. An English achievement test was conducted to classify students according to their academic grade. The results showed the preferred learning styles used by undergraduate Saudi students at KKU. The order of the preferred learning styles based on sensory channels was as follows: visual, tactile, kinesthetic and finally the least frequent one was auditory, furthermore, the results revealed that students prefer individual learning more than group learning. Besides that, the findings also indicated that there was no statistically significant relationship between the learning styles and achievement level except with the group learning style which was used by students who got grade Excellent or Very Good. The study concluded by providing some possible implications of the study for English teachers.


Author(s):  
Agustrianita Agustrianita ◽  
Didi Suherdi ◽  
Pupung Purnawarman

Lack of teachers’ understanding in students’ learning styles and their teaching could cause unfacilitated teaching methods for example through the use of traditional lecturing methods. This issue brings the importance of this research objective to investigate teachers’ perceptions about learning style, their teaching, and the applied methods in the classroom. This study uses a quantitative research approach that is the analysis of learning style types for different students at different grade levels. To find out the perceptions of English teachers in this study, information was collected through 20 closed questions with data analysis to find out how the learning style influenced the teaching learning process of 28 English teachers. The findings of this study suggest that teachers’ understand about students’ different learning styles, so they adopt their students’ learning styles to their teaching. The last, teachers agree to use group discussion rather than lecturing methods by integrating ICT. In conclusion, teachers’ perception on students’ learning styles can increase their awareness to design teaching methods that differentiate students’ learning styles. Abstrak Kelangkaan pemahaman guru mengenai gaya belajar siswa dan bagaimana cara mengajarnya yang tepat dapat disebabkan oleh metode mengajar yang tidak bersifat fasilitatif, misalnya masih berupa perkuliahan tradisional. Oleh karena itu, penting untuk meneliti persepsi guru mengenai gaya belajar, cara mengajarnya, dan implementasinya di kelas. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan kuantitatif yang fokus pada beragam gaya belajar siswa pada kelas-kelas yang berbeda. Infomasi diperoleh dengan memberikan 20 pertanyaan tertutup untuk mencari tahu bagaimana gaya belajar memengaruhi proses pembelajaran di kelas Bahasa Inggris (28 guru). Penelitian ini menemukan bahwa guru memahami keragaman gaya belajar siswa, sehingga mereka mengadopsi gaya belajar siswa dalam pengajaran mereka. Guru juga sepakat menggunakan kelompok diskusi ketimbang perkuliahan tradisional dengan mengintegrasikan Teknologi Informasi dan Komunikasi (TIK). Dapat disimpulkan bahwa persepsi guru terhadap gaya belajar siswa meningkatkan kepedulian mereka dalam mengembangkan metode mengajar yang beragam sesuai keragaman belajar siswa. Keywords: Students’ learning style, teaching style


Author(s):  
Yu-Hsin Hung ◽  
Ray I. Chang ◽  
Chun Fu Lin

3D visualization specifically has been widely applied in a broad range of fields, including computer science, pedagogy, and so forth. 3D visualization instruction has become the essential tool that uses computer programs to generate 3D representations of manmade objects. For users, 3D visualization instruction can be manipulated, altered and efficiently communicated to others, and it is efficient for teaching and learning. The aim of this study is investigating students' perception toward 3D visualization instruction, and the influence of learning-style preferences on learners' intentions to use 3D visualization instruction. We are trying to develop the experiment which undergraduate students participated in this study, the purpose of which was to investigate the utilize 3D visualization instruction access to the single learning style and multiple learning styles. Data mining technology was employed in this study to identify multiple learning styles. The result showed that high visual and high sensing learning style has potential of using 3D visualization instruction.


Author(s):  
Anders Berglund

Student learning is built on native ability, prior preparation and experiences but also by the compatibility of his or her learning style and the instructor’s teaching style. Past research (Kolb, 1984; Felder & Silverman, 1988; Baillie & Moore, 2004; Biggs & Tang, 2007; Crawley, Malmqvist, Ostlund, & Brodeur, 2007) indicate mismatches between engineering students’ common learning styles and traditional teaching styles. This paper addresses a transition from a teacher centered approach to a collaborative student centered approach. A longitudinal study of bachelor thesis redesign is described by following the progression in three parallel courses over four consecutive years. Moving beyond the traditional practices of individual thesis writing, a strict individual assignment has been transformed where roughly 50% now originates from collective work efforts. Findings show support to a collective approach when working with bachelor thesis writing as work groups become self-governed, attached with a creative disposition, pursuing functioning knowledge, key generic skills of industrial relevance, and collectively supporting deep level learning.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Robab Farhang ◽  
Ulduz Zamani Ahari ◽  
Samira Ghasemi ◽  
Aziz Kamran

Background and Objectives. The career decision-making self-efficacy (CDSE) in medical, pharmacy, and dental students is more important than other disciplines due to professional sensitivity, direct involvement in decision-making for the treatment process, and the significant clinical involvement. It is also expected that learning styles can have a significant impact on the academic success, and the CDSE also affects the quality of clinical care. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the relationship between the learning styles and the career decision-making self-efficacy among medicine and dentistry students. Materials and Methods. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 235 medical interns and fifth- and sixth-year dental students of Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Iran. The data were collected using Kolb Learning Style Inventory and Betz and Luzzo career decision-making self-efficacy questionnaire. Statistical tests such as Kolmogorov–Smirnov, Spearman correlation coefficient, Chi-square, one-way ANOVA were used to analyze the data. Results. The mean age of participants was 25.9 ± 1.30; a majority of them were dental students (134 persons, 59.3%), and 92 were medical students (40.7%). The predominant learning styles in dental and medical students were assimilating (40.3%) and converging (47.8%), respectively. There was no significant relationship between students’ learning styles and career decision-making self-efficacy and none of its subscales ( P > 0.05 ). The Chi-square test results showed that a significant difference was observed between the field of study and learning styles of the participants ( P = 0.024 ). Conclusion. This study showed that there was no significant relationship between learning style and career decision-making self-efficacy of the participants.


2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 490-506 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darwish Abdulrahman Yousef

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the use of Honey and Mumford’s (1986) learning styles questionnaire (LSQ) in the context of United Arab Emirates (UAE) higher education. In particular, it aims at exploring the learning style preferences of United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) students using LSQ. It also investigates whether there are statistically significant differences in students’ learning style preferences because of their demographic and academic characteristics. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from a sample of 1,463 undergraduate students at the UAEU. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to present the main characteristics of respondents, to explore the learning style preferences of UAEU students and to find out whether there are significant differences in students’ learning style preferences because of their demographic and academic characteristics. Findings Results indicated that UAEU students have strong preferences for the four learning styles. Results showed that about 68 per cent of UAEU students have strong or very strong preferences for the activist leaning style, whereas about 84 per cent have strong or very strong preferences for the reflector learning style, 78 per cent have strong or very strong preferences for the theorist learning style; about 60 per cent have strong or very strong preferences for the pragmatist learning style. Furthermore, there were statistically significant differences in certain learning styles because of students’ demographic and academic characteristics. Research limitations/implications There are a number of limitations associated with this study. First, data were collected from a single university in the UAE. Second, the results are based on a self-report survey and this in turn might affect the reliability of the results. Another limitation is that this study is of snapshot type. Hence, it might not capture the dynamic nature of learning style. On the other hand, it has a number of implications for students, educators and administrators. Originality/value The present study is the first attempt to explore learning styles preference of undergraduate students using LSQ, not only in the content of UAE higher education but also in the Arab world.


2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 446-464
Author(s):  
D.A. Yousef

Purpose This study aims to examine the reliability and validity of the learning style construct conceptualized by Honey and Mumford (1986) in educational settings in the United Arab Emirates. Design/methodology/approach Two independent samples from the UAE were used: one comprised 1,463 undergraduate students at the UAE University, and the other comprised 152 undergraduate students at the American University of Ras Al Khaimah. The data were analyzed using Cronbach’s alpha, inter-correlations and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Findings Measured by alpha coefficients, the outcomes suggest that the learning styles questionnaire (LSQ) had moderate internal consistency in both samples. The inter-correlations reveal positive (weak to modest) correlations among the four learning styles for both samples, implying a lack of support for the two bipolar dimensions proposed by Kolb. CFA failed to support the four learning styles described by Honey and Mumford. Research limitations/implications This study used only two samples to test the reliability and validity of the instrument. Second, other statistical tools (e.g. test-retest, item analysis) usually used to determine the reliability and validity of instruments were not used. Furthermore, the study was conducted over a short period; nonetheless, it has various implications for researchers, educators and managers. Originality/value This investigation represents the first attempt to assess the LSQ’s reliability and validity in educational settings in the UAE. The findings contribute to the study of learning styles and instruments testing.


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