Comparative Analysis of Instructional Learning Preferences of Medical Students of First and Seventh Semester

Learning style preferences can be based on personality models, information processing models, social interaction models and instructional preference model. The VARK inventory which gathers information according to instructional preference model is a widely accepted tool for assessing learning style.

Aim: Evaluation and comparison of instructional learning style preferences of first and seventh semester medical students.

Method: Study was conducted on first and seventh semester medical students (84 students each) of School of Medical Sciences and Research. VARK inventory (Version 7.1) was administered to determine the preferred instructional mode based upon the four sensory modalities- visual(V), auditory(A), read/write(R) and kinaesthetic(K).

Results : 75% of the first semester students had unimodal learning preference out of which 9%, 44%, 5% and 17% students preferred visual, auditory, read/write and kinaesthetic modes respectively. In comparison, significantly higher percentage (45%) of seventh semester students had multimodal learning preference and learning preference of unimodal students for visual, auditory, read/write and kinaesthetic modes was 6%, 13%, 12% and 24% respectively. The most preferred unimodal instructional style of the first semester students was auditory, and that of seventh semester students was kinaesthetic. However, in both semesters, significantly higher number of female students preferred auditory mode of learning style as compared to males whereas significantly higher number of male students preferred kinaesthetic mode. In contrast to the first semester students, the learning style preferences of final semester students were more varied, including all the bimodal (VA, VK, VR, AK AR, KR) and trimodal (VAK, VAR, AKR and VRK) learning styles.

Conclusion: In accordance with the principles of andragogy, teaching methodologies should be tailored to suit the learning preferences of learners. This can be aided by assessing the instructional preferences of medical students. Knowledge of their learning style preferences will also assist the students in incorporating appropriate learning strategies to enhance the process of self directed learning.