Learning from the Past as We Aim for the Future through Identifying Students' Learning Styles To Improve Teaching/Learning Experiences in College Students (original) (raw)
Related papers
1999
This study investigated differences in two-year and four-year college students' learning styles in general education as compared to allied health education. It noted whether being a general education student or an allied health education student contributed to each student's learning style and whether being a traditional or nontraditional student in a two-year or four-year college would contribute to learning style. Participating students from two-year and four-year colleges in West Virginia and Alabama completed the Group Assessment of Logical Thinking (GALT), which identifies learning style as concrete, transitional, or formal. General education students in the two-year college tested in the expected range. A large percentage of them, regardless of whether they were traditional or nontraditional, were concrete learners. Two-year students in the allied health fields fit into the expected ranges, as 46.14 percent were concrete learners. Among the four-year general education students, 11.54 percent were concrete learners, 34.61 percent were transitional learners, and 53.85 percent were formal learners. These numbers did not fit the expected percentages of approximately 50 percent concrete learners. When comparing traditional and nontraditional students in two-year and four-year colleges, researchers noted that there were many more nontraditional students in the two-year college than the four-year college. (Contains 13 tables.) (SM)
Comparing Community College Students' Learning Styles in General and Advanced Biology Classes
1994
This paper reports on an investigation into individual differences and group differences in learning styles, test anxiety levels, task performance, and students' attitudes regarding cooperative learning in beginning and advanced biology classes. The Transactional Analysis Inventory (TAI) and Test Anxiety Scale (TAS) were administered to two groups of general biology students and two groups of advanced biology students at a southeast Alabama community college. On the basis of the TAI, students who knew their TAI results were placed into activity groups so that at least two learning styles were represented in each group. At the end of the quarter, students again completed the TAI and the TAS, in addition to the Learning Styles Questionnaire; pre-and post-test scores and beginning versus advanced test scores were compared. Although both students and teachers felt that cooperative learning groups helped to reduce their test anxiety, no significant differences were found between the preand post-test TAS scores. Correlations were noted between learning styles and grades with concrete or hands-on learners having the highest grades in both class groups. Findings indicate that group activities not only prevented students from working in isolation, but also helped reduce shyness and increased social skills, team spirit, and a sense of belonging. The learning styles questionnaire is appended. (Contains 19 references.) (NAV)
1992
To meet the challenges created by diverse learning styles and abilities, community college students are often required to take placement tests to identify individual learning styles. This study was conducted to determine whether organizing students into activity groups based on learning style contributes to performance; and whether grouping students into activity groups representing at least two different learning styles contributes to a reduction in each student's test anxiety score. The Transactional Ability Inventory (TAI), a quickly scored test that categorizes students into one of four learning styles, and the Test Anxiety Scale (TAS) were administered to 46 students at the beginning of the 1992 spring quarter. On the basis of the TAI students were placed into activity groups so that at least two learning styles were represented in each group. At the end of the quarter the TAI, the TAS, and a questionnaire were completed by students. Even though differences in the pre-and post-test scores were not significant, most students agreed with the results of the TAI and had favorable comments regarding working in groups. Statistical analysis of the TAS indicated that grouping students with someone who perceived and processed materials in a different way was very beneficial in reducing test anxiety. A copy of the learning styles questionnaire is appended. (LL)
Analysing of the Learning Style of Medical Students and Physical Education Students
Knowledge of learning style can enhance the ability of teachers to build on student experiences and construct new learning opportunities. It is about how a person learns than what a person learn. This study examines the learning styles preferences in medical and physical education university students and the differences in their learning according to Learning Styles Kolb Questionnaire. This questionnaire is design to find out the preferred learning style and differs from other tests of learning style and personality used in education by being based on a comprehensive theory of learning and development. The group consist in 222 students. Six variables were assesses: four primary scores that measure an individual's relative emphasis on the four learning orientations: Concrete Experience (CE), Reflective Observation (RO), Abstract Conceptualization (AC), and Active Experimentation (AE), and two combination scores that measure an individual's preference for abstractness over concreteness (AC-CE) and action over reflection (AE-RO). According to the results of the study after applied One Way Anova and Bonferoni with SPSS package program it was seen that are not significant differences between groups for three learning orientation. Only for Abstract Conceptualization (AC) were founded differences between groups. With the results, we bring out the inventory of students learning stylea and performance.
Marmara Medical Journal, 2015
Objectives: The process of development and evaluation of undergraduate medical education programs should include analysis of learners' characteristics, needs, and perceptions about learning methods. This study aims to evaluate medical students' perceptions about problem-based learning methods and to compare these results with their individual learning styles. Materials and Methods: The survey was conducted at Marmara University Medical School where problem-based learning was implemented in the curriculum for the first three years of the medical education. An evaluative questionnaire about a studentcentered learning environment and an "Inventory of Learning Styles" were completed by the students. One-way ANOVA and Kruskal Wallis tests were used for statistical analyses of the study. Results: It was found that personally interested students who need external regulation strategies and who were prone to learn by stepwise processing were less satisfied with problem-based learning and other active learning methods than students who were less dependent on these learning styles. Thus, the former students did not benefit much from the organization, content, acquired knowledge and skills of problem-based learning. Conclusion: It is important for the students to develop their self-regulated learning skills so that they can benefit from problem-based learning and student-centered learning activities. Curriculum development and program evaluation studies should consider improving the students' development of self-regulation and professional skills.
Canadian medical education journal, 2012
Most students admitted to medical school are abstract-passive learners. However, as they progress through the program, active learning and concrete interpersonal interactions become crucial for the acquisition of professional competencies. The purpose of this study was to determine if and how medical students' learning styles change during the course of their undergraduate program. All students admitted to the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (PUC) medical school between 2000 and 2011 (n = 1,290) took the Kolb's Learning Style Inventory at school entrance. Two years later 627 students took it again, and in the seventh and last year of the program 104 students took it for a third time. The distribution of styles at years 1, 3 and 7, and the mobility of students between styles were analyzed with Bayesian models. Most freshmen (54%) were classified as assimilators (abstract-passive learners); convergers (abstract-active) followed with 26%, whereas divergers (concrete-pa...
Learning styles of medical students change in relation to time
Advances in Physiology Education, 2011
The aim of the present study was to investigate if any changes exist in the learning styles of medical students over time and in relation to different curriculum models with these learning styles. This prospective cohort study was conducted in three different medical faculties, which implement problem-based learning (PBL), hybrid, and integrated curriculum models. The study instruments were Kolb's Learning Style Inventory (LSI) and a questionnaire describing the students' demographic characteristics. Sample selection was not done, and all first-year students ( n = 547) were targeted. This study was designed in two phases. In the first year, the study instruments were delivered to the target group. The next year, the same instruments were delivered again to those who had fully completed the first questionnaire ( n = 525). Of these, 455 students had completed the instruments truly and constituted the study group. The majority of the students were assimilators and convergers in...
Learning styles of medical students
South-East Asian Journal of Medical Education, 2014
Introduction: Knowledge of learning styles of the students helps educators to address various needs of learners. Study objective was to determine learning styles of undergraduate medical students. Methods: A cross sectional survey was conducted at Lahore Medical & Dental College (LMDC), Lahore, between January and March 2011 among students from first to fourth year MBBS classes using an online VARK inventory. Additional information was obtained using a structured questionnaire. Data was analysed using SPSS version 16 computer package. Chi square test was applied for association and statistical significance was determined with p ≤0.05 as the cutoff point. Results: Among the 338 study participants, 61% were females, 63% were between the age groups 20-23 years and 78% had done FSc. Each class representation was 1st year (26%), 2nd year (25%), 3rd year (29%) and 4 th year (20%). Most students depicted multimodal learning style (69%). The preferred unimodal styles were aural (14%) and kinesthetic (12%). In different combinations, the favoured learning modes were kinesthetic (70%), read/write (60%), aural (57%) and visual (55%). Around 89% of-A‖ level students, compared with 66% of those who had done FSc were multimodal (p=0.002). The preference for multiple learning modes increased with the transition from pre-clinical first and second years to the clinical third and fourth years (p= 0.006). Conclusion: Medical students prefer multiple variety of information transfer. For a better impact, learning style diversity can be converted into appropriate teaching and learning methods that enable more students to attain success.