Interdisciplinary and inter-institutional differences in learning preferences among Malaysian medical and health sciences students

• Published in: Journal of advances in medical education & professionalism 2017-10, Vol.5 (4), p.164-171
• Main Authors: Wong, Rebecca S Y, Siow, Heng Loke, Kumarasamy, Vinoth, Shaherah Fadhlullah Suhaimi, Nazrila
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Health sciences; Learning; Medical students; Original
• ISSN: 2322-2220; 2322-3561

The learner-centred approach in medical and health sciences education makes the study of learning preferences relevant and important. This study aimed to investigate the interdisciplinary, inter-institutional, gender and racial differences in the preferred learning styles among Malaysian medical and health sciences students in three Malaysian universities, namely SEGi University (SEGi), University of Malaya (UM) and Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR). It also investigated the differences in the preferred learning styles of these students between high achievers and non-high achievers. This cross-sectional study was carried out on medical and health sciences students from three Malaysian universities following the approval of the Research and Ethics Committee, SEGi University. Purposive sampling was used and the preferred learning styles were assessed using the VARK questionnaire. The questionnaire was validated prior to its use. Three disciplines (medicine, pharmacy and dentistry) were chosen based on their entry criteria and some similarities in their course structure. The three participating universities were Malaysian universities with a home-grown undergraduate entry medical program and students from a diverse cultural and socioeconomic background. The data were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software, version 22. VARK subscale scores were expressed as mean+standard deviation. Comparisons of the means were carried out using t-test or ANOVA. A p value of