Intellectual Property Rights: Open Access

Abstract

Identifying and Comparing Learning Styles Preferences among Medical Undergraduates Students at College of Medicine Aljouf University

Marwa Ahmed Abd El-Aziz El Naggar

Background: The (FOM-JU) adopted Problem-Based Learning as the main educational strategy, school implement many instructional methods. To develop pedagogical strategies medical teachers need to know the preferred learning styles of their students. Medical education researchers aware that using a variety of teaching methods improve the retention, use, accessibility of knowledge, as well as enhance students’ adaptability in problemsolving situations enhance deep learning (1).
Aim: The aim of this study was to identify and compare students learning styles in basic sciences (1st, 2nd and 3rd years) phase and clinical (4th and 5th years) Phase at the faculty of medicine Aljouf University, and to compare learning styles differences between female and male students. Suggest suitable learning resources that will be more beneficial to students learning styles.
Methodology: A comparative design was applied in this study. Comprehensive sample was taken from medical students both preclinical -clinical students with male 159 and 48 female (n=207) was performed. The validated VARK questionnaire was used. The questionnaire consists of 16 items which identify four learning styles; visual, auditory, reading/ writing and kinesthetic. Descriptive analysis were first used to identify the learning styles of students, then comparative analysis was used to compare learning styles preferences between male and female students and between basic and clinical phases students. VARK questionnaire was distributed to all students in male and female sides, for all years (first and second year female side and first, second, third, fourth and fifth years male side).
Results: Results showed that 72.9% of female and 71.1% of male students preferred to learn by a multi-modality (visual, auditory, reading/writing, or kinesthetic). Results also shows that 40.67% of the male students in clinical years prefer one mode of the learning style preferences, while 44% of female and male students in basics sciences phase in FOM-JU prefer to learn by two modes of the learning style preferences. It also shows that 13% of the male students prefer kinesthetic mode of the learning style preferences, comparing to 4.1% of female students are tactile learners in in basics sciences phase.
Conclusion: The study concluded that majority of FOM-JU students prefer multimodal style. Results of this study also conclude that there is a difference between clinical and basics sciences year in learning styles preferences.