Learning styles of medical students change along the study program: from ‘thinking and watching’ to ‘thinking and doing’

Abstract

Background: 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. Methods: 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. Results: Most freshmen (54%) were classified as assimilators (abstract-passive learners); convergers (abstract-active) followed with 26%, whereas divergers (concrete-passive) and accommodators (concrete-active) accounted for 11% and 9%, respectively. By year 3, the styles' distribution remained unchanged but in year 7 convergers outnumbered assimilators (49% vs. 33%). In general, there were no gender-related differences. Discussion: Medical students change their preferred way of learning: they evolve from an abstract-reflexive style to an abstract-active one. This change might represent an adaptation to the curriculum, which evolves from a lecture-based teacher-centered to a problem-based student–centered model.

Learning styles and academic achievement among undergraduate medical students in Thailand

“…Teaching methods that include practice with patients in real situations may also have promoted a more active learning style [ 5 ]. A similar difference in learning styles between preclinical and clinical students was also observed in a recent study from Spain [ 4 ]. Previous research, from various settings, has found that some learning styles, such as theoretical, reflective, and assimilative, were likewise more commonly found in preclinical students [ 6 ].…”

“…The preclinical curriculum focuses on basic knowledge of medical sciences, which involves numerous complex details. As a result, the teaching methods unavoidably involved didactic lectures [ 4 ]. In our setting, the teaching methods used for preclinical students included lectures, problem-based learning, self-directed learning, and written reports.…”

“…The faculty should promote effective learning by encouraging students to be aware of their own learning styles and assisting them to adopt methods appropriate to their style [ 16 ]. Furthermore, the faculty should also help students develop other learning styles in order to adjust to different methods of teaching [ 4 ]. Specifically, students with a prominently global learning style should be assisted in building a more balanced and sequential style to help cope with the complexities and abundance of knowledge required to practice medicine [ 14 ].…”

“…Therefore, a reflective learning style should be encouraged by promoting reflective methods of engagement in clinical teaching. Knowing the learning style of the students can help staff and faculty to create more appropriate courses, which promotes flexibility in teaching methods, and to improve the variety of teaching resources in order to help students achieve their educational goals [ 4 ].…”

A Review of Learning Styles in Orthodontic Education

“…The learning styles of students have been shown to change as the student progresses in their academic years (12). The findings from another study suggest that the theoretical lectures and practical sessions of the preclinical training years (first-and secondyear) exhibit assimilating learning style (13,14).…”