Learning Style Preferences of Para-Clinical Students: A Medical Institute Experience from Mauritius

Background: The purpose of imparting knowledge in medical education should be well defined to give the maximum benefit to the students. This can achieve by identifying the ways in which students can learn best. Objective: This study focuses on the identification of preferred learning style (visual, auditory and kinaesthetic) among the second professional MBBS students Methods: Barsch questionnaire was administered to assess the predominant learning style among the second professional MBBS students at SSR Medical College. Results: A total of 156 students participated. The majority (78.2%) of the students had visual preference, followed by auditory (14.7%) and then kinaesthetic (7.05%). Both males and females showed the same preference. Conclusion: Our study highlights that visual learning is predominant learning style. Thus, the identification of preferred learning style can be helpful to the students in retaining the knowledge in better way.


Introduction
Teaching medicine is an ever-evolving process where it is extremely important to see both aspects of teaching and learning. With the vast and extensive curriculum of MBBS, the biggest challenge for teachers is to impart necessary knowledge of medicine within a limited period of time in order to be retained, remembered and effectively interpreted by students.
Traditional teaching learning methods should be replaced by newer methods. Most medical schools have acknowledged this issue and have adopted new methods of teaching and learning to varying degrees (Kohet al., 2008). It has always been the matter of argument by the teachers that students do not remember, recall and apply the knowledge given to them in efficient manner. This argument gives the school of thought that how the students should be imparted knowledge so that they can absorb maximally and reproduce effectively when required. This aim can be well-achieved by identifying the various learning styles of students.
Learning style is the process by which a person understands and retains information, thereby gaining knowledge or skills (Adesunloyeet al., 2008). The knowledge regarding learning styles can be useful to both teachers and students, in which the teacher can know about the learning styles of students and impart knowledge in the way that they understand, the best (Newble & Entwistle, 1986;Lubawy, 2003).
Similarly, students also can be empowered to identify and use the techniques of learning which suits to their individual styles. It results in greater educational satisfaction and better results. Dunn et al., (1990) defined the term 'learning style' as different and unique ways used by individuals as they prepare to learn and recall information. Learning styles may be associated with student understanding and may predict success in examination (Shankar et al., 2006). A recent research indicates that students' learning styles and approaches to study may have a significant bearing on their academic success (Newble, el al., 1985).
Three learning styles are defined including visual, auditory and kinaesthetic/tactic. Students show a wide variation on learning style. Learners can be classified as unimodal if they show predominantly one learning preference. If the learning preferences are shared between 2 or more learning styles it is called multimodel.. Students learn by relying on understanding,by relying on rote memorization and reproducing memorized information, or by a combination of these methods to varying degrees. Most students possess a dominant or preferred learning style. However, some has a mixed and evenly balanced-blend of the three styles. Many models and measures of learning styles have been described in the literature, including Kolb's Learning Inventory (Kolb, 1984), VARK learning style inventory (Fleming and Mills, 1992), Gardner's Multiple Intelligence Theory (Gardner, 1993) and Barsch learning inventory (Barsch, 1980). We have used Barsch learning inventory. This inventory is an informal, self-reporting instrument that provides the student with an indication of the relative strengths and weaknesses in learning through different sensory channels: auditory, visual, and kinesthetic.
The purpose of our study was to identify the predominant learning style among the second professional students and identify measures to strengthen their learning styles.

Method
This study analyses the learning styles of undergraduate students in second (paraclinical) year MBBS students of SSR Medical College. Current medical students in our institution show a diverse educational, cultural, ethnic, and gender background. Barsch learning style inventory was used.(Annexure-1).
The questionnaire was distributed to the students during lectures and practical sessions. Participants were briefed about the objectives of the study, and confidentiality of responses was ensured by maintaining anonymity of responders. Each response was scored according to protocols developed by the developers. Predominant learning style was calculated using the scores of protocol.
The data were compiled into a Microsoft Excel (Microsoft Corporation, USA) spreadsheet.

Results
A total number of 156 students participated in this study and age range was from 20-22 years. The response rate was 100 %. Out of 156 students, 67 were males and 89 were females. Figure 1 showed the learning style preferences in which 122/156-78.2%) had visual learning preference, followed by auditory (23/156-14.7%) and then kinaesthetic (11/156-7.05%) Figure 2 shows that gender distribution regarding the learning preferences. Visual modality was the preferred learning style among both males (48/122-30.78%) and females (74/122-47.40%).

South East Asian Journal of Medical Education
Vol. 10 no. 1, 2016

Discussion
Learning is a lifelong process and different people use their different sensory modalities to learn. MBBS students show diversity in age, sex, ethnicity, culture, learning preferences and learning styles. The present study provides a comprehensive profile of varied learning preferences in the second professional students at SSR Medical College, Mauritius. Based on Barsch inventory, the visual preference was the predominant and it was the predominant among the both groups. This finding is supported by Agnihotri et al., (2012).
It is seen that student motivation and performance improves when instructions are given to students according to their learning preferences and styles (Gardner, 1993). Identification of the different type of learning styles among students and development of appropriate learning approaches is the ultimate responsibility of the instructor for the effective teaching (Miller, 2001). In traditional lecture format, the information is given in the same manner to all the students in same pace without seeing their comfort zone of learning. However, various studies have shown that students prefer multimodal learning style with one predominant style. Knowledge of students preferred learning style could help in developing the strategies regarding the delivering of content (Tanner & Allen, 2004). We compared the studies done by other countries. Results show diversity, which could be explained by the course taken by them, their pre-course education, their cultural background and their learning preferences. it is evident in the literature that most of the medical students prefer multimodal ways of learning (Samarakoon et al., 2013 In medicine it is essential to identify all the learning styles among undergraduate students.

Recommendations to the students
Students were informed about their preferred styles. We suggested to use graphics, colour codes to organize notes, use of different colours to highlight important points in text, use of flow charts and diagrams to visual learners. Auditory learners, were suggested to read aloud , use mnemonic devices to learn difficult things and use of verbal analogies. Kinaesthetic learners were guided in the form of making models or role play, write while reading, memorize while moving, counting on fingers, translating information into diagrams and listening of music while studying.

Conclusion
Medical education is a constantly evolving process. It is developing everyday with new research, discoveries and ideas. Although our study highlights that visual learning is predominant learning style using Barsch inventory among second professional MBBS students further studies are required to see change in their learning style longitudinally.

16.
Feel the best way to remember is to picture it in my head.

17.
Learn spelling by "finger spelling" the words.

18.
Would rather listen to a good lecture or speech than read about the same material in a textbook.

19.
Am good at working and solving jigsaw puzzles and mazes.

20.
Grip objects in my hands during learning period.

21.
Prefer listening to the news on the radio rather than reading about it in a newspaper.

22.
Obtain information on an interesting subject by reading relevant materials.

24.
Follow oral directions better than written ones.