Learning-style profiles of 150 veterinary medical students

Abstract

Awareness of student learning-style preferences is important for several reasons. Understanding differences in learning styles permits instructors to design course materials that allow all types of learners to absorb and process information. Students who know their own learning style are better able to help themselves in courses taught in a non-preferred method by developing study strategies in line with their preferred learning method. We used the Felder and Solomon Index of Learning Styles to assess the learning-style profiles of 150 veterinary students in three consecutive years. Students were predominantly active (56.7%), sensing (79.3%), visual (76.7%), and sequential (69.3%). Most were balanced on the active-reflective (59.3%) and global-sequential (50%) dimensions, and 61.3% and 54% were moderately to strongly sensing and visual, respectively. Small but significant numbers of students were moderately to strongly intuitive (8.7%), verbal (13%), and global (12%). The most common patterns were active-sensing-visual-sequential (26%), reflective-sensing-visual-sequential (19.3%), active-sensing-visual-global (8.7%), and active-sensing-verbal-sequential (8.7%). Although most students (65.3%) were balanced on one to two dimensions, 77.3% had one or more strong preferences. Our results show that although people have dominant learning-style preference and patterns, they have significant minor preferences and patterns across all dimensions with moderate to strong preferences on each scale. These results indicate that a balanced approach to teaching is essential to allow all students to learn optimally.