J Educ Eval Health Prof.  2015;12:38. 10.3352/jeehp.2015.12.38.

Learning styles and academic achievement among undergraduate medical students in Thailand

• Jiraporncharoen W
• Angkurawaranon C
• Chockjamsai M
• Deesomchok A
• Euathrongchit J

• KMID: 2402045
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3352/jeehp.2015.12.38

Abstract

PURPOSE
This study aimed to explore the associations between learning styles and high academic achievement and to ascertain whether the factors associated with high academic achievement differed between preclinical and clinical students.
METHODS
A survey was conducted among undergraduate medical students in Chiang Mai University, Thailand. The Index of Learning Styles questionnaire was used to assess each student's learning style across four domains. High academic achievement was defined as a grade point average of at least 3.0.
RESULTS
Of the 1,248 eligible medical students, 1,014 (81.3%) participated. Learning styles differed between the preclinical and clinical students in the active/reflective domain. A sequential learning style was associated with high academic achievement in both preclinical and clinical students. A reflective learning style was only associated with high academic achievement among preclinical students.
CONCLUSION
The association between learning styles and academic achievement may have differed between preclinical and clinical students due to different learning content and teaching methods. Students should be encouraged to be flexible in their own learning styles in order to engage successfully with various and changing teaching methods across the curriculum. Instructors should be also encouraged to provide a variety of teaching materials and resources to suit different learning styles.

Keyword

Curriculum; Educational status; Medical students; Teaching materials; Thailand

MeSH Terms

Curriculum
Educational Status
Humans
Learning*
Students, Medical*
Teaching
Teaching Materials
Thailand*

Reference

1. Index of Learning Styles [Internet]. Rohnert Park (CA): Merlot;[cited 2014 April 2]. Available from: http://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewCompositeReview.htm?id=163745.

2. Vitsupakorn K. Learning style preference and medical education. Chiang Mai Med Bull. 2004; 43:25–31.

3. Murthy KS, O’Neill PA, Byrne GJ. The influence of learning styles and personality profiles on undergraduate medical students’ clinical performance. Med Teach. 2013; 35:608–609. http://dx.doi.org/10.3109/0142159X.2013.772972.

4. Bitran M, Zuniga D, Pedrals N, Padilla O, Mena B. Medical students’ change in learning styles during the course of the undergraduate program: from ‘thinking and watching’ to ‘thinking and doing’. Can Med Educ J. 2012; 3:13.

5. Lasitha S, Tharanga F, Chaturaka R, Senaka R. Learning styles and approaches to learning among medical undergraduates and postgraduates. BMC Med Educ. 2013; 13:42. http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1472-6920-13-42.

6. Gurpinar E, Bati H, Tetik C. Learning styles of medical students change in relation to time. Adv Physiol Educ. 2011; 35:307–311. http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/advan.00047.2011.

7. Wickramasinghe DP, Samarasekera DN. Patterns of approaches to studying of pre-clinical, clinical and post graduate students from a setting in a developing country in Asia. Med Teach. 2011; 33:338–341.

8. Reid WA, Duvall E, Evans P. Relationship between assessment results and approaches to learning and studying in year two medical students. Med Educ. 2007; 41:754–762. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2923.2007.02801.x.

9. May W, Chung EK, Elliott D, Fisher D. The relationship between medical students’ learning approaches and performance on a summative high-stakes clinical performance examination. Med Teach. 2012; 34:e236–241. http://dx.doi.org/10.3109/0142159X.2012.652995.

10. Gurpinar E, Alimoglu MK, Mamakli S, Aktekin M. Can learning style predict student satisfaction with different instruction methods and academic achievement in medical education? Adv Physiol Educ. 2010; 34:192–196. http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/advan.00075.2010.

11. Ghaffari R, Ranjbarzadeh FS, Azar EF, Hassanzadeh S, Safaei N, Golanbar P, Mazouchian H, Abbasi E. The analysis of learning styles and their relationship to academic achievement in medical students of basic sciences program. Res Dev Med Educ. 2013; 2:73–76. http://dx.doi.org/10.5681/rdme.2013.017.

12. McManus IC, Richards P, Winder BC, Sproston KA. Clinical experience, performance in final examinations, and learning style in medical students: prospective study. BMJ. 1998; 316:345–350. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.316.7128.345.

13. Dobson JL. A comparison between learning style preferences and sex, status, and course performance. Adv Physiol Educ. 2010; 34:197–204. http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/advan.00078.2010.

14. Mitchell BS, Xu Q, Jin L, Patten D, Gouldsborough I. A cross-cultural comparison of anatomy learning: learning styles and strategies. Anat Sci Educ. 2009; 2:49–60. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ase.73.

15. Kumar LR, Chacko TV. Using appreciative inquiry to help students identify strategies to overcome handicaps of their learning styles. Educ Health. 2012; 25:160–164. http://dx.doi.org/10.4103/1357-6283.109794.

16. Nuzhat A, Salem RO, Quadri MS, Al-Hamdan N. Learning style preferences of medical students: a single-institute experience from Saudi Arabia. Int J Med Educ. 2011; 2:70–73. http://dx.doi.org/10.5116/ijme.4e36.d31c.