Evaluation of Preferences in Learning Styles among Undergraduate Medical Students of a South Indian Medical College using the Grasha-Reichmann Student Learning Style Scales: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background:Understanding various learning styles and framing teaching strategies accordingly has become a cornerstone of good teaching practice.Grasha and Riechmann (1996) consider learning styles as social interactions. They classify them into six categories: Independent, Avoidant,Collaborative, Dependent, Competitive and Participant, each of whichhas its own characteristics.Hence, the present study was planned and conducted to evaluate thepreferences in learning styles among the undergraduate medical students of a South Indian medical college, using the GRSLSS.Methodology: The GRSLSS inventory was used for the assessment oflearning style preferences among the participants. The survey questionnaire comprised of 60 questions, amongst which, ten questions weregrouped for each of the six mentioned learning styles. The sum ofthe scores for the specified ten questions of each learning style wascalculated and then averaged. The mean scores were calculated andcompared using the Kruskal Wallis Test.Results: Among the 134 participants, there was a statistically significant difference in the distribution of learning style patterns amongindividuals.(p<0.01) There was a dominance of Collaborative andDependant learning type, followed by the Independent style. TheParticipant and Competitive learning styles were sparsely distributedamong the individuals.Discussion: A mismatch between the teaching style of a teacher andthe learning style of a student can render the teaching/learning processless effective. The present study highlighted that the student’s learningprocess and academic performance can be improved by tailoring theinstructional modality to the student’s preference or style, wheneverfeasible.Keywords: Grasha Reichman, Learning Scale, Learning Style, Studentcentered learning.