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Abstract

Background:

Learning style is an approach students start to adopt to new information. It can be assessed by various models. Among them, the VARK (visual-V, aural-A, read/write-R, kinesthetic-K) model is more appropriate, concise, and reliable. Visual learners grasp information best through images and diagrams; auditory learners excel by listening to spoken content; reading/writing learners prefer writing and text-based materials; and kinesthetic learners understand concepts through hands-on activities. Understanding students’ preferences of learning styles grants higher academic efficiency and helps the faculty to use suitable teaching methods for enhancing the student’s grasping ability.

Objective:

To compare preferred learning styles by using the VARK questionnaire based on gender, residence, and educational background of the undergraduate medical students.

Methods

This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed at Rehman Medical College, Peshawar, Pakistan, from January to June 2023. Through a non-probability approach, using universal sampling, 493 students from first-fifth year were assessed by a printed VARK questionnaire. Learning preferences were graded as unimodal when a student had opted for one learning style; bimodal: chosen two learning styles; trimodal: three options were preferred; and quadmodal: all the four options were opted. Knowing the learning preferences of the students will help the faculty to use suitable teaching methods to enhance the students’ grasping ability. After testing data for normality by the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, ANOVA was used for comparing the learning styles, followed by post-hoc. The t-test was used for comparing means of two groups based on gender, residential status, and educational system (O-level and matric) using SPSS.

Results

A total of 493 students; 52.5% males and 47.4% females participated in the research with a mean age of 22.5±1.0 years. Overall, the mean score of visual learners was 3.4 [SD 2.2], aural was 4.0 [SD 2.4], read/write was 3.3 [SD 2.3] and kinesthetic was 5.1 [SD 2.6]. In general, students had unimodal (28.6%), bimodal (34.4%), trimodal (21.0%), and quadmodal (16.0%) learning preferences, respectively. Preference for read/write and kinesthetic styles significantly improved from first to final year, p-value ˂0.01. Female students were significantly better kinesthetic learners, with p-value ˂0.01. Urban students proved to be better visual learners than rural ones, p-value 0.04. Students who followed the conventional system of education were found to be better aural learners with p-value 0.01.

Conclusion

Most of the students were kinesthetic and preferred bimodal learning. Females favored kinesthetic; urban students opted for visual, While students in conventional education systems who preferred the aural learning style were comparatively greater in number.. Knowing the students’ different styles of learning will benefit facilitators in developing relevant teaching approaches for improved outcomes.

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