Identification of learning style preferences among first year MBBS students using VARK questionnaire

Abstract

Learning style refers to the preference of the students for receiving and processing the information. In the present CBME curriculum, as the learning is more student-centric, understanding the learning style preferences of the students allows higher educational efficiency. Learning styles can be assessed by different models. Among them, the VARK model is more concise, simple, appropriate, and reliable. VARK categorizes learning by sensory preferences – Visual, Auditory, Read/Write, and Kinesthetic. To identify the mode of learning and learning style preferences among first-year MBBS students using the VARK questionnaire and to determine the relationship between learning style preferences and gender. This cross-sectional study was carried out among first-year MBBS students at AIIMS, Guwahati for 6 months after obtaining permission from the Institutional Ethics Committee. Consenting students were administered with a Google form of VARK questionnaire version 7.8. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the student’s preference for various VARK components. The chi-square test was used to compare four VARK learning styles between male and female students. 97 students (75 males and 22 females) studying first-year MBBS participated in the study. Most of the students were tetra-modal learners (38.14%) showing a preference for all four sensory modalities. 31 students (31.95%) showed an unimodal mode of learning. This is followed by trimodal (17.52%) and bimodal (12.37%) learners showing a preference for three and two sensory modalities respectively. The most preferred learning style was kinesthetic (mean score was 10±3.58) and the least was read/write (mean score was 4.79±3.48).Knowledge of the learning style may allow the students to improve their academic performance. It helps the instructors to modify and adopt appropriate teaching methods addressing different learning styles for achieving higher educational efficiency.