Learning patterns among medical students

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the common learning pattern among the different styles namely visual, auditory, reading and kinesthetic in students of first year MBBS students. A cross sectional study of first year medical students (n= 100) was performed. The validated VARK questionnaire was used to categorize the learning styles of students. The questionnaire consists of 16 items which identify four different learning styles: visual, aural, reading/writing and kinesthetic. Descriptive statistics were used to identify the learning styles of students. The response rate was 100%. The results showed that the vast majority of students (95%) preferred to learn by multiple sensory modalities. Among the multimodal learning styles the most preferred was trimodal (5%) and quad modal (95%)respectively. The results of this study can provide useful information for improving the quality of the teaching and learning experiences of students. However, more research on this topic needs to be undertaken before the association between learning style preferences and teaching and learning strategies is more clearly understood.