Learning Style Assessment Research Articles

Visual, aural, read/write, and kinesthetic: An assessment of learning styles among undergraduate medical students of M R Medical College, Kalaburagi

Background: Globally, research on education states that there will be unique learning style for an individual and it differs from person to person. There is a need for the students and even the teachers a starting place for thinking about and understand how students learn to achieve the maximum benefits from existing various modern teaching methodologies. Objectives: The present study was undertaken to assess the learning styles among undergraduate (UG) medical students of Mahadevappa Rampure Medical College, Kalaburagi, Karnataka. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among UG medical students belonging to two consecutive batches in the 1st and 2nd year of medical training were invited to participate in the exercise. Of the total 250 students who invited, 213 (85.2%) participated, and the data were collected by administering a printed form of Version 7.8 visual, aural, read/write, and kinesthetic questionnaire. The sample size was drawn using convenient sampling technique. Learning style preference was assessed depending on the score for each question. Statistical analysis was done in terms of percentages and proportions and using chi-square tests. Results: The majority of students in our study was unimodal learners (54%). The predominant sensory modality of learning was kinesthetic (65.2%), followed by aural (20%). Unimodality was the preferred learning style more among males (58.3%), but females were more kinesthetic learners (75%). Conclusion: We use a combination of teaching methods in our daily routine as teachers, but there has not been an active effort to determine whether these methods adequately meet the requirements of different types of learners. We hope that the data from the present study will help us to adopt better approaches in teaching and training the students and make learning a more fruitful experience.

Assessment of Learning Styles of Undergraduate Medical Students

Assessment of Learning Styles of Undergraduate Medical Students

Learning Style and Academic Performance of First Year Agricultural Undergraduates: A Case in Rajarata University of Sri Lanka

In Sri Lankan universities, lecturers are trained and requested to conduct learning style assessments to design strategies for better educational environments. Even though, limited attention has been acquired in the area of learning styles and academic performances, less literature is found related to agricultural undergraduates. This study has attempted to investigate the learning styles of first year agricultural undergraduates in one of the Sri Lankan universities. The objective was thereby, to examine any association between learning styles and academic performances. A Cross sectional survey was administered using a structured questionnaire consisting of the VARK learning style tool. Results illustrated that most of the students have multimodal learning styles and, those styles were independent from gender or their high school academic discipline pertaining to agriculture or biology. Among these learning styles, kinesthetic style has gained a reasonable attention. The study concluded no substantial association between learning styles and academic performances. Availability of multimodal learning styles are suitable to use blended teaching aids such as lectures, video and illustrations as well as to encourage students to take self-notes etc. Moreover, facilitating each student to gain hand on experience can be used to enhance the learning. Finally, this study can also be performed using some other available methods to avoid the biased errors and to understand the learning styles in different angles.

Learning style and teaching methodology preferences of dental students

The purpose of teaching is to encourage students to learn better so as to provide better knowledge and understanding of subject. Therefore it is also important for a teacher to acquire the different learning styles so as to provide the best education which can be easily understood by the student for better learning. Learning style assessment can be carried out by a Visual Auditory Reading Kinesthetic (VARK) questionnaire which is the most accepted one. Aim and objectiveTo study the preferred learning style among the 3rd & 4th year dental students & the preference of teaching learning methodology. MethodA cross-sectional study was conducted on 185 dental students of 3rd year & final year. Two questionnaires were used: The VARK questionnaire version 7.1 & a second questionnaire were prepared to obtain the basic demographic information of the student as well as the order of preference of teaching methodology. ResultsThe majority of students had Quadrimodal VARK preference followed by Unimodal learning style. The kinesthetic learning style was the most predominant. The most preferred teaching methodology was Practical/Clinical which was in accordance with the results obtained from the VARK study. ConclusionProblem based teaching methods are currently being more preferred over traditional methods. No one single tailor-made teaching approach is superior to other teaching methods, no matter how good the teacher is, therefore, a more individualistic approach should be followed taking students preference of teaching method and understanding into consideration. More of student and teacher orientation programs are required to create a friendly learning environment for all.

Students’ Voice in Learning Style Assessment: The Innovative Learning Experiences Tool (ILE)

<strong></strong><p>Students who enter higher education have diverse learning needs, andhigher education institutions need to provide for these needs. One way of dealing with this variety of learning needs is to empower students to play an active role in their own learning, by making them aware of their learning styles. Identifying learning styles is an important facet within the learning process. Assessing learning styles could provide students with an opportunity to be reflective, and interrogate how they learn. Students’ learning styles can be assessed by using a learning styles assessment tool. The Innovative Learning Experiences (ILE) which was developed in this study, caters for the students` voice where students reflect on their past and present learning experiences. </p><br /><strong> </strong>

Medida de estilos de aprendizagem para o ensino fundamental

Resumo A presente pesquisa visou levantar evidências de validade relativa à análise da estrutura interna dos itens de uma escala de estilos de aprendizagem, bem como identificar os estilos de aprendizagem desses alunos. Participaram 565 alunos dos 3° ao 9° anos do ensino fundamental público do estado do Paraná. Utilizou-se uma Escala de Avaliação de Estilos de Aprendizagem, com 80 itens, aplicada coletivamente. A análise fatorial, por componentes principais e com rotação varimax, indicou estrutura de quatro Dimensões para a escala. As Dimensões se agruparam da seguinte forma: Dimensão 1 - Condições ambientais e condições pessoais, com 22 itens; Dimensão 2 - Condições sociais, com 11 itens; Dimensão 3 - Condições instrumentais, com 11 itens e Dimensão 4 - Condições de atividade; os itens desta dimensão não se agruparam do modo esperado, por isso novos estudos deverão ser realizados, visando o refinamento do instrumento. As condições ambientais e pessoais foram os estilos predominantes nesta amostra.

Factors associated with medication adherence in school-aged children with asthma.

Adherence to preventive asthma treatment is poor, particularly in children, yet the factors associated with adherence in this age group are not well understood.Adherence was monitored electronically over 6 months in school-aged children who attended a regional emergency department in New Zealand for an asthma exacerbation and were prescribed twice-daily inhaled corticosteroids. Participants completed questionnaires including assessment of family demographics, asthma responsibility and learning style. Multivariable analysis of factors associated with adherence was conducted.101 children (mean (range) age 8.9 (6–15) years, 51% male) participated. Median (interquartile range) preventer adherence was 30% (17–48%) of prescribed. Four explanatory factors were identified: female sex (+12% adherence), Asian ethnicity (+19% adherence), living in a smaller household (−3.0% adherence per person in the household), and younger age at diagnosis (+2.7% for every younger year of diagnosis) (all p<0.02).In school-aged children attending the emergency department for asthma, males and non-Asian ethnic groups were at high risk for poor inhaled corticosteroid adherence and may benefit most from intervention. Four factors explained a small proportion of adherence behaviour indicating the difficulty in identifying adherence barriers. Further research is recommended in other similar populations.

A comparative study of the learning styles among 1st, 2nd and final year MBBS students

Background: Learning style is the way students begin to focus, internalize and remember new and difficult information. Identifying the learning styles of medical students will enable the faculty to use appropriate T/L method to increase the grasping ability of their subject/ learning. Purpose of the study was to assess and compare the learning styles of 1 st , 2 nd and final MBBS students by using VARK questionnaire. Methods: This was an observational, cross-sectional study based on the questionnaire, conducted by the department of Pharmacology at Basaveshwara Medical College and Hospital, Chitradurga. The VARK learning styles assessment questionnaire was administered to 1st (96 students), 2nd (60 students) and Final year (49 students). The students were categorized as auditory, kinaesthetic, visual learner or read/write depending on the predominant option they chose. Independent sample 't' test was used to compare the mean scores between the two groups using the software SPSS v22. Results: 40% of students had unimodal and 60% had multimodal learning style. Final year MBBS students had higher percentage of multimodal learning style (73%). The most preferred style of learning among all the medical students was kinesthetic (6.6), followed by aural (5.5), visual (4.0) and read/write (3.5). There was significant difference between the learning styles of 1st and Final year MBBS students in Visual (p=0.01) and Read /Write (p= 0.008). Conclusions: Knowing that students have different learning styles and kinesthetic being the most preferred mode of learning will help medical faculty to develop teaching/learning strategies for better outcomes.

The effect of learning styles and study behavior on success of preclinical students in pharmacology.

Objectives:To evaluate the effect of learning styles and study behaviors on preclinical medical students’ pharmacology exam scores in a non-Western setting.Materials and Methods:Grasha–Reichmann Student Learning Study Scale and a modified Study Behavior Inventory were used to assess learning styles and study behaviors of preclinical medical students (n = 87). Logistic regression models were used to evaluate the independent effect of gender, age, learning style, and study behavior on pharmacology success.Results:Collaborative (40%) and competitive (27%) dominant learning styles were frequent in the cohort. The most common study behavior subcategories were study reading (40%) and general study habits (38%). Adequate listening and note-taking skills were associated with pharmacology success, whereas students with adequate writing skills had lower exam scores. These effects were independent of gender.Conclusions:Preclinical medical students’ study behaviors are independent predictive factors for short-term pharmacology success.

Assessment of visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning style among undergraduate nursing students

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Background:&lt;/strong&gt; Learning styles refer to the ability of learner to perceive and process information in learning situations. The ability to understand students’ learning styles can increase the educational outcomes. VAK (Visual, auditory, kinesthetic) learning style is one of the learning style in which students use three of sensory perception to receive information. Teachers can incorporate these learning styles in their classroom activities so that students are competent to be successful in their courses. The purpose of this study is to assess Visual, Auditory, and Kinesthetic learning style among undergraduate nursing students.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Methods:&lt;/strong&gt; A descriptive study was carried out; the study was conducted during the period of 3rd. November, 2013-15, March, 2014, in two Nursing Colleges at Universities of Mosul and Kirkuk. A stratified random sampling was used for data collection. The target population was an undergraduate nursing students (210) students (60 male and 150 female). Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS), Chi-square, Frequencies and Percentage was used for data analysis.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The results:&lt;/strong&gt; the findings reveal that Visual, Auditory, and Kinesthetic learning style of the study sample was (40.0%), (29.5%), and 30.5% respectively. Females preferred auditory learning style (30.3%) more than males (27.3%), while males preferred kinesthetic learning style (32.3%) more than females (29.8%).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Recommendation:&lt;/strong&gt; The researcher recommended that nurse educators should aware of learning styles of the students and provide teaching style to be matched with their learning style.&lt;/p&gt;

A Nurse Leadership Project to Improve Health Literacy on a Maternal-Infant Unit

To describe how participation in the Sigma Theta Tau International Maternal-Child Health Nurse Leadership Academy positioned the authors to lead an interdisciplinary team through implementation and evaluation of a change project related to patient education based upon national health literacy standards. The project goal was to improve patient satisfaction with nurse communication and preparation for hospital discharge. Quality improvement. Mother/-baby unit of an academic medical center serving a high percentage of patients of a minority population and underserved clients. The five- step intervention included (a) review of current health literacy standards, (b) formation of an infrastructure for development and evaluation of existing patient education materials, (c) assessment of patient education materials currently in use, (d) assessment of literacy level and learning styles of new mothers, and (e) provision of continuing education to increase knowledge of nurses as patient teachers and of health literacy. Mean scores of Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) in the domains of patient satisfaction with nurse communication and discharge information were used to measure patient satisfaction with health communication. Patient satisfaction with nurse communication increased from 75.9% to 84.6%. Satisfaction with discharge information increased from 84.6% to 98.6%. The leadership academy successfully positioned the authors to guide an interdisciplinary team through development of a process to meet the education and communication needs of patients and improve their health literacy. As a result, a positive effect was noted on patient satisfaction with health communication.

The association between learning styles and perception of teaching quality

Purpose – Although learning styles and teaching quality have been studied separately, the association between the association between the two has yet to be identified. The purpose of this paper is to establish the relationship between students’ learning styles with students’ perceptions of teaching quality. Design/methodology/approach – The study used survey responses from 272 undergraduate students. All 80 items in the Honey and Mumford’s (1986) Learning Styles Questionnaire and all 46 teaching quality items (Thompson, 2002) were used to assess learning styles and perceptions of teaching quality, respectively. Structural equation modelling was used to investigate the relationships between learning styles and perception of teaching quality. Findings – Results indicate learners with dominant reflector or activist styles are influenced in their perceptions of teaching quality of their teacher or lecturer. No perceptions of teaching quality relationships were found for students with dominant theorist or pragmatist learning style. Practical implications – Recognising that perceptions of teaching quality impacts on some students, teachers and lecturers may consider and articulate the type of learning they would prefer students to adopt for a particular class. As an example, a teacher might ask students who would normally see themselves as active learners to relax into the lecture mode of delivery and reflect on what is said in the lecture, to take time to consider what is said. Originality/value – This study combines the two important constructs of learning and perception of teaching quality to provide insight into the relationship between the two.

A personalized approach to deliver health care information to diabetic patients in community care clinics.

The study's purpose was to test the generalizability of an individualized information prescription model, which has been previously validated for educating patients about hypertension in emergency department and community health center settings. Study investigators assessed the effects of educational materials targeted to health literacy levels and learning styles on patients' diabetes knowledge in a community clinic setting. From May to August 2012, 160 patients were recruited and randomized into intervention (n = 81) and control (n = 79) groups. Inclusion criteria included 18 years or older, English or Spanish speaker, and a type 2 diabetes diagnosis. Measures included modified versions of the Diabetes Knowledge Test and Subjective Numeracy Scale, along with brief health literacy and learning style assessments. Study team members contacted both groups after 2 and 6 weeks to reassess diabetes knowledge. The control group showed no significant change in diabetes knowledge at both follow-ups. In contrast, the mean number of diabetes knowledge questions answered correctly by the intervention group increased significantly after 2 weeks (Δ = 2.66, P = 0.000), which persisted at 6 weeks (Δ = 2.46, P = 0.00). This study showed that patients' knowledge about diabetes increased significantly after exposure to educational materials targeted to their health literacy levels and learning style preferences and that the model is transferrable among health conditions.

How do medical students learn? a study from two medical colleges in south India - A cross sectional study

Introduction: Learning is defined as an individual's preferred method for approaching learning and gaining knowledge. As a teacher, it is important to understand the different learning styles of the students in acquiring the information, and hence one can make the necessary changes that best match the learning style of the students. Assessment of learning styles can be done in various ways but Visual Auditory Reading Kinesthetic (VARK) questionnaire is the most accepted one among them. The present study was undertaken to determine the learning preferences of first year medical students in South India. The study was also aimed at determining whether males and females have similar pattern of learning styles. Materials and Methods: This study was jointly conducted in Mamata Medical College, Khammam, Telangana and Sapthagiri Institute of Medical Science and Research Center, Bangalore, Karnataka. VARK-questionnaire Version 7.8 was used after obtaining permission. The VARK–questionnaire along with information about age and sex was distributed among 200 first year students of both colleges on the same day and response rate was 80%( Males49% and Females 51%) Results: VARK questionnaire results revealed that none of our respondents preferred unimodal method. 3% were bimodal, 32% were trimodal and 63% were quad modal. There was no statistical difference between the individual scores between male and female respondents. Implication: The implication of this study is applicable to teachers to understand his/her student’s pattern of learning. Although none of the students learn only by one method, all the multimodal learners will have a predominance of a particular learning style either it be visual/auditory/read/kinesthetic.

Learning and teaching style assessment for improving project-based learning of engineering students: A case of United Arab Emirates University

ABSTRACTLearning styles of most engineering students and teaching styles of most engineering academic staff are incompatible in several dimensions. Many or most engineering students are visual, sensing, inductive and active, whereas engineering education is mostly verbal (auditory), abstract (intuitive), deductive, passive and sequential. These mismatches lead to poor student performance, professorial frustration and a barrier to produce many potentially excellent engineers. The modern method of engineering education involves contemporary teaching and learning practices using project and program based learning, work integrated learning and integrative learning approaches. Project-based learning (PBL) is acknowledged as a collaborative, progressive, student-centred, interactive, active and deep learning approach. The paper investigates the learning styles of engineering students, teaching approaches of engineering academic staff, the role of smart technologies and their applications for the implementation of PBL in engineering education at the United Arab Emirates University. Students and academic staff were surveyed to understand their learning and teaching styles respectively. Most engineering students are observed active (57%), sensory (71%), visual (83%) and sequential (68%). Surveyed engineering academic staff exhibited their strong preference to expert, delegator and facilitator style of teaching. Students were observed to use different educational technologies frequently and approximately 52% students were identified using electronic media and technology as their learning resources. Only 22% of students indicated small group work as their learning resources, which indicates lack of collaborative learning of students. Previous studies discovered that PBL approach prefers facilitator style of teaching rather than expert or delegator styles. The paper discusses the improvement of PBL in engineering education through understanding of learning and teaching styles.

Educational interventions to improve knowledge and skills of interns towards prevention and control of hospital-associated infections.

Context:We believe that there is significant educational deficit amongst interns regarding up-to-date formal knowledge and skills on healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) which might compromise patient safety. This urgently requires curriculum innovations to ensure their formal training on HAIs prevention and control.Aim:Education of interns to improve their knowledge and skills toward HAIs prevention and control.Subjects and Methods:This pilot study was conducted in interns using a multimodal approach consisting of a combination of videos, PowerPoint presentation, and hands-on demonstration to provide applied and practical teaching on prevention and control of HAIs. Pre- and post-test assessment of knowledge, attitude, and skills was carried out by multiple choice questions, 5-point Likert scale, and Objective Structured Practical Examination respectively.Statistical Analysis Used:Paired t-testResults:A statistically significant improvement in the overall score rates between pre- and post-test of intern's was seen, suggesting that educational programs have a positive effect. Intern's felt benefitted from interventions focused on HAIs prevention and control and hoped that such sessions are integrated in the regular undergraduate curriculum. A majority of the students felt that their learning style assessment matched well with their own perception of learning preference.Conclusions:Assessment drives learning; hence strengthening the contribution of health-care workers to HAIs prevention programs should include measures that enhance knowledge, improve skills and develop appropriate attitudes, resulting in safety and quality of patient care.

Assessment of different learning styles in graduate medical education

INTRODUCTION: The ACGME has mandated 16 hour duty periods for interns starting July 2011. The ACGME also mandates that interns must have 8 hours and should have 10 hours free of duty between duty periods. Residents after PGY-1 have a maximum duty period of 24 hours. Thus, interns work shorter periods and asymmetric schedules with the rest of the program. The effect of these mandates on the academic curriculum of interns has not been studied.The ACGME 16 hour intern duty period will lead to significant reduction in intern attendance at lectures.

Learning-Style Assessment in Online Courses: A Prerequisite for Academic Success

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

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.

Intellectual Style Inventory (ISI): Learning Style Assessment after Cortical Functional Specialization

Background: Many criticisms face theoretical bases and measurement tools used for identifying learning styles. The Intellectual Style Inventory (ISI) introduced in this work provides a new approach for learning style assessment based on cortical functional specialization. The ISI emphasizes the distinct characteristic processes of thinking and perception in each cortical lobe. It adds that the lobe indicating an individual's first preference in thinking may differ from his lobe of first preference in perception. Knowing an individual's preferred cortical lobe in thinking and in perception could help identify his learning style according to his predominant intellectual processes. Aims: The aim of the present study was to investigate the theoretical assumption after the