Learning Preferences among Medical and Physical Therapy Students: A Systematic Review

Learning style is known as affective, cognitive, physiological, or combined characteristics which indicate the ways through which students interact, respond and understand the learning environment. A systematic review was conducted with relevant literature from 2012 to 2021 by hand searching and from electronic databases (PubMed, MEDLINE, ProQuest, and Eric) with proper search strategy as Boolean operator. They were searched using the keywords ‘allied health students’ ‘learning style’, ‘medical students’, ‘MBBS students’ and ‘physical therapy students OR physiotherapists’. Out of 1027 studies, only 16 potentially relevant articles were included in this review. This study reflected undergraduate physical therapy and MBBS students from various countries and their most preferred learning style is kinaesthetic and activist which states learning is based on experiments, hands-on practice, audio-visual lectures, teaching sessions in a new environment allowing students to analyze and synthesize theories. However, students require adaptable, educative, and assessment strategies as they have different learning styles.

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Learning Style Preferences of Undergraduate Nursing Students: A Systematic Review

Africa Journal of Nursing and Midwifery ◽

10.25159/2520-5293/5758 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Tonderai Washington Shumba ◽

Scholastika Ndatinda Iipinge

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Academic Performance ◽

Academic Success ◽

Nursing Students ◽

Learning Styles ◽

Learning Style ◽

Undergraduate Nursing Students ◽

Learning Style Preferences ◽

Undergraduate Nursing ◽

Style Preferences

This study sought to synthesise evidence from published literature on the various learning style preferences of undergraduate nursing students and to determine the extent they can play in promoting academic success in nursing education of Namibia. A comprehensive literature search was conducted on electronic databases as a part of the systematic review. Although, kinaesthetic, visual and auditory learning styles were found to be the most dominant learning style preferences, most studies (nine) indicated that undergraduate nursing students have varied learning styles. Studies investigating associations of certain demographic variables with the learning preferences indicated no significant association. On the other hand, three studies investigating association between learning styles and academic performance found a significant association. Three studies concluded that indeed learning styles change over time and with academic levels. The more nurse educators in Namibia are aware of their learning styles and those of their students, the greater the potential for increased academic performance.

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An empirical investigation on learning and teaching lean manufacturing

Education + Training ◽

10.1108/et-11-2018-0232 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 62 (3) ◽

pp. 339-354

Author(s):

Guilherme Luz Tortorella ◽

Rogério Miorando ◽

Diego Fettermann ◽

Diego Tlapa Mendoza

Keyword(s):

Graduate Students ◽

Learning Styles ◽

Learning Style ◽

Teaching Methods ◽

Lean Manufacturing ◽

Teaching Method ◽

Learning Preferences ◽

Teaching Approaches ◽

Content Type ◽

Learning And Teaching

PurposeThis article identifies the association between two methods for teaching lean manufacturing (LM): problem-based learning (PBL) and classroom lectures, and students' learning styles of a postgraduate course.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from graduate students LM courses that present different teaching approaches. Thus, students' learning preferences were gathered through the application of the Index of Learning Style questionnaire, and their performance assessed after each course.FindingsResults indicate that learning styles are indeed associated with LM teaching approaches, and comprehending interaction effects between learning style dimensions is essential for properly adapting the teaching method. However, these interactions have different extensions.Originality/valueAlthough teaching LM has significantly evolved over the past decades, the single application of traditional teaching methods jeopardizes learning effectiveness of graduate students because of the practical nature of LM. This study provides evidence to better understand the effect of complementary teaching methods and their relationship with students' preferences, empirically examining that there is not one best approach for understanding LM.

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Learning Style Preferences Among Undergraduate Medical Students: An Experience from Different Medical Colleges of Bangladesh

Bangladesh Journal of Medical Education ◽

10.3329/bjme.v10i2.44640 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 26-30

Author(s):

Md Rezaul Karim ◽

AKM Asaduzzaman ◽

Md Humayun Kabir Talukder ◽

Kazi Khairul Alam ◽

Farhana Haque ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Learning Styles ◽

Learning Style ◽

Sampling Technique ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Learning Preferences ◽

Multimodal Learning ◽

Undergraduate Medical Students ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Medical Colleges

This descriptive type of cross sectional study was conducted to determine the learning styles of undergraduate medical students. The study period was from July 2017 to June 2018. The study was carried out among the students of 2nd, 3rd and 4th phases of MBBS course of 3 government and 4 non-government medical colleges of Bangladesh. Out of 7 medical colleges, 4 were within Dhaka and 3 were from outside Dhaka. The sample size was 1004 students. Medical colleges were selected purposively and convenience sampling technique was adopted for data collection. Bangla translated version Fleming's VARK (visual, auditory, read/write and kinesthetic) questionnaire was used to identify the learning styles of students. The study revealed that out of 1004 medical students, 64.2% preferred multimodal learning styles and rest 35.8% preferred unimodal learning styles. Among unimodal learning preferences, auditory (A) and kinesthetic (K) were the most preferred sensory modalities of learning. Among multimodal learning styles preferences, the combination of auditory & kinesthetic (AK) and auditory, read/write & kinesthetic (ARK) were predominant. There were only significant differences of the mean scores of visual (V) learning style among the male and female students. Majority of students preferred multimodal learning styles. Students are able to learn effectively as long as the teacher provides a blend of visual, auditory, read/writing and kinesthetic activates. The study recommended that teachers should be aware of the medical students' learning styles and aligning teaching-learning methods with learning styles will improve their learning and academic performance. Bangladesh Journal of Medical Education Vol.10(2) 2019: 26-30

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Learning Styles in Problem-based Learning Environments Impacts on Student Achievement and Professional Preparation in University Level Physical Therapy Courses

International Journal of Higher Education ◽

10.5430/ijhe.v8n3p206 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

pp. 206

Author(s):

David J. Edwards ◽

Lori Kupczynski ◽

Shannon L. Groff

Keyword(s):

Student Achievement ◽

Academic Success ◽

Physical Therapy ◽

Learning Styles ◽

Learning Style ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Problem Based Learning ◽

Academic Disciplines ◽

Physical Therapy Education ◽

Therapy Education

It is unknown if matching students’ preferred learning style with course delivery style improves academic success and further study is warranted in this area (Feely & Biggerstaff, 2017; Newton & Miah, 2017). Recently, there has been a call to better identify and understand the preferred learning styles of physical therapy education students and the effect this has on education (Brudvig, Mattson, & Guarino, 2016; Lowdermilk, 2016). While the benefit of matching teaching and learning styles has been investigated in other academic disciplines, it has not been investigated in physical therapy education. The purpose of this study was to determine if student preferred learning style is related to success in a learner centered problem-based learning formatted class and program, specifically for physical therapy students. Results provide insights into preferred learning styles and student achievement in a problem-based learning centered Doctoral level Physical Therapy Program.

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The learning style preferences of chiropractic students: A cross-sectional study

Journal of Chiropractic Education ◽

10.7899/jce-13-25 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 28 (1) ◽

pp. 21-27 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Stephney Whillier ◽

Reidar P. Lystad ◽

David Abi-Arrage ◽

Christopher McPhie ◽

Samara Johnston ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Learning Styles ◽

Learning Style ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Learning Preferences ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Learning Style Preferences ◽

Kinesthetic Learning ◽

Style Preferences ◽

Chiropractic Students

Objective The aims of our study were to measure the learning style preferences of chiropractic students and to assess whether they differ across the 5 years of chiropractic study. Methods A total of 407 (41.4% females) full-degree, undergraduate, and postgraduate students enrolled in an Australian chiropractic program agreed to participate in a cross-sectional survey comprised of basic demographic information and the Visual, Aural, Read/Write, Kinesthetic (VARK) questionnaire, which identifies learning preferences on four different subscales: visual, aural, reading/writing, and kinesthetic. Multivariate analysis of variance and the χ2 test were used to check for differences in continuous (VARK scores) and categorical (VARK category preference) outcome variables. Results The majority of chiropractic students (56.0%) were found to be multimodal learners. Compared to the other learning styles preferences, kinesthetic learning was preferred by a significantly greater proportion of students (65.4%, p < .001) and received a significantly greater mean VARK score (5.66 ± 2.47, p < .001). Conclusions To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time chiropractic students have been shown to be largely multimodal learners with a preference for kinesthetic learning. While this knowledge may be beneficial in the structuring of future curricula, more thorough research must be conducted to show any beneficial relationship between learning style preferences and teaching methods.

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Book Review: Learning Style Perspectives: Impact in the Classroom

Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice ◽

10.53761/1.12.1.9 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 120-122

Author(s):

Kathryn Harden-Thew ◽

◽

Romy Lawson ◽

Keyword(s):

Learning Styles ◽

Postsecondary Education ◽

Learning Style ◽

Learning Preferences ◽

Course Content ◽

Entry Level ◽

The Third ◽

Careful Thought ◽

Practical Nature

Following the first two editions of her book, which she wrote solo, Celli has joined forces with colleague N D Young for the third edition. Celli and Young have prepared this book with the goal of giving instructors in postsecondary education “a primer on learning styles” (p.11). In a review of the second edition, Kovac (1999) highlighted the importance for educators of understanding the learning styles of their students to better present course content. Fifteen years later this statement remains true. With Kovac’s own teaching background in chemistry, he noted that it was challenging to address the differing learning preferences of all students in his classes. He pointed to the practical nature of Celli’s book in addressing these needs and offering pedagogic solutions. This third edition appears to have altered little, with an entry-level overview of learning-style theory, followed by an explanation of Celli and Young’s own learning-style theory. Celli and Young set out to address the struggle of every educator who seeks to improve pedagogic practice in the classroom through careful thought, planning and innovative implementation.

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Preferred Learning Styles of Medical and Physiotherapy Students

Annals of King Edward Medical University ◽

10.21649/akemu.v23i1.1511 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 23 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Rahila Nizami ◽

Muhammad Zahid Latif ◽

Gohar Wajid

Keyword(s):

Learning Styles ◽

Learning Style ◽

Male Students ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Medical College ◽

Instructional Activities ◽

New Information ◽

A Minor ◽

Assessment Strategies ◽

Physiotherapy Students

Background: Learning styles are the ways students learn, intake and process new information. The contribution of learning styles for educational quality is evident and have important implications to develop effective curricula. Teachers can effectively plan instructional activities if they know the learning styles of students. This study was conducted to find out the preferred learning styles of medical and physiotherapy students.Methods: This cross sectional descriptive study was conducted at Azra Naheed Medical College Lahore from January to March 2014. Honey and Muffard Learning Style Questionnaire (LSQ) was used to assess the preferred learning styles. The medical students of 3rd year and 6th semester physiotherapy class were invited for the study. The collected data was organized and analyzed by the use of statistical tools.Results: 120 students participated in this study, out of which 60 (50 %) were students of MBBS class whereas 60 (50 %) were of physiotherapy class. 48 (40%) were male students and 72 (60%) were female students. Both the groups have reflector as dominating learning style with a minor difference of (40%) and (42.5%) for medical and physiotherapy respectively.Conclusion: Students have different learning styles and require versatile instructional and assessment strategies. Preferred learning style of medical and physiotherapy students found in this study is reflector, however all the learning styles are present in both groups.

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Learning Style Preferences of Pharmacy Students

The European Journal of Social & Behavioural Sciences ◽

10.15405/ejsbs.2013.1.14 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

pp. 119-129

Author(s):

Zoriah Aziz ◽

Tey Xin Yi ◽

Syireen Alwia ◽

Chong Nyuk Jet

Keyword(s):

Learning Styles ◽

Learning Style ◽

Learning Experience ◽

Learning Preferences ◽

Pharmacy Education ◽

Pharmacy Students ◽

Internal Reliability ◽

Learning Style Preferences ◽

Style Preferences ◽

The University

Students have preferences about how they like to learn. Available evidence suggests that understanding students’ learning style is helpful in providing them a successful learning experience. The aim of the study was to determine the learning styles preferences of pharmacy students. The Honey and Mumford’s Learning Style Questionnaire (LSQ) was administered twice to all undergraduate pharmacy students (n=240) in the University of Malaya, Malaysia. The LSQ covered four different learning preferences: activist, reflector, theorist and pragmatist. The LSQ showed satisfactory test-retest correlation (0.57 to 0.66) and moderate internal reliability (0.53 to 0.61). Reflector learning style was the most common among the students (60.4%) followed by theorist and pragmatist (both 8.8%) and activist (6.2%). Another 15.8% of the students did not show any dominant learning styles. The preferred learning styles were statistically independent of the demographic variables examined such as level of academic year, sex, race and pre-university qualifications. A range of teaching methods and learning activities should be provided in pharmacy education in order to match the variety of learning styles.

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How Cultural and Learning Style Differences Impact Students’ Learning Preferences in Blended Learning

Transcultural Blended Learning and Teaching in Postsecondary Education ◽

10.4018/978-1-4666-2014-8.ch003 ◽

2012 ◽

pp. 30-51 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Dirk Tempelaar ◽

Bart Rienties ◽

Bas Giesbers ◽

Sybrand Schim van der Loeff

Keyword(s):

Learning Styles ◽

Blended Learning ◽

Learning Style ◽

Direct Consequence ◽

Cultural Background ◽

Learning Preferences ◽

Learning Approaches ◽

Learning Tools ◽

Cultural Backgrounds ◽

First Year Students

In teaching introductory statistics to first year students, the Maastricht University uses a blended learning environment that allows them to attune available learning tools to personal preferences and needs, in order to address large diversity in students. That diversity is a direct consequence of a heterogeneous inflow of primarily international students, transferring from different secondary school systems with large differences in prior knowledge, and transferring from very different cultural backgrounds. In this empirical contribution, the authors focus on the role an adaptive online tutorial as component of the blend can play in bridging the consequences of a broad range of differences such as prior mastery of the subject, cultural background, and learning approaches. They do so by investigating the relationships between the intensity of the use of the e-tutorial and students’ characteristics related to nationality, cultural background, learning styles, goal-setting behavior, achievement motivations, self-concept constructs, and subject attitudes.

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Assessment of learning styles of undergraduate medical students using the VARK questionnaire and the influence of sex and academic performance

AJP Advances in Physiology Education ◽

10.1152/advan.00024.2014 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 38 (3) ◽

pp. 216-220 ◽

Cited By ~ 33

Author(s):

Rathnakar P. Urval ◽

Ashwin Kamath ◽

Sheetal Ullal ◽

Ashok K. Shenoy ◽

Nandita Shenoy ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Academic Performance ◽

Learning Styles ◽

Learning Style ◽

Undergraduate Students ◽

Medical Training ◽

Demographic Data ◽

Sensory Modality ◽

Learning Preferences ◽

Undergraduate Medical Students ◽

Style Preferences

While there are several tools to study learning styles of students, the visual-aural-read/write-kinesthetic (VARK) questionnaire is a simple, freely available, easy to administer tool that encourages students to describe their behavior in a manner they can identify with and accept. The aim is to understand the preferred sensory modality (or modalities) of students for learning. Teachers can use this knowledge to facilitate student learning. Moreover, students themselves can use this knowledge to change their learning habits. Five hundred undergraduate students belonging to two consecutive batches in their second year of undergraduate medical training were invited to participate in the exercise. Consenting students (415 students, 83%) were administered a printed form of version 7.0 of the VARK questionnaire. Besides the questionnaire, we also collected demographic data, academic performance data (marks obtained in 10th and 12th grades and last university examination), and self-perceived learning style preferences. The majority of students in our study had multiple learning preferences (68.7%). The predominant sensory modality of learning was aural (45.5%) and kinesthetic (33.1%). The learning style preference was not influenced by either sex or previous academic performance. Although we use a combination of teaching methods, there has not been an active effort to determine whether these adequately address the different types of learners. We hope these data will help us better our course contents and make learning a more fruitful experience.

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