Teaching method preferences of first year medical students in a medical college in India

Abstract

Background:Experiments in labs are usually taught using personality models, information processing models, social interaction models and instructional preference models. This study uses the VARK- visual, auditory, read/write, and kinaesthetic  inventory to gather information as per instructional preference model for assessing learning  preferences among first MBBS students with reference to hematology experiments.Aim:This study is designed to evaluate and compare instructional learning style preferences of first and second semester medical students in a peripheral medical college in IndiaMethod:This study was conducted on first and second semester MBBS students with each group having 75 students each. VARK inventory version 7.1 was administered to determine the preferred instructional mode based upon the four sensory modalities- visual, auditory, read/write and kinaesthetic with reference to hematology experiments.Results:80% of the first semester students had unimodal learning preferences out of which 10%, 50%, 5% and 15% students preferred visual, auditory, read/write and kinaesthetic modes respectively. In comparison, significantly higher percentage (50%) of second semester students had multimodal learning preferences. Their unimodal learning preference was 5% visual, 5% auditory, 5% read/write and 15% kinaesthetic modes. First semester students’ auditory instructional style as the most preferred method, whereas the second semester students preferred the kinaesthetic mode.Conclusion:With the passage of time in the medical course, students adapt to a multimodal method of instruction.It is therefore in the interest of students to strengthen, encourage and adopt a multimodal approach to lab teaching rather than resorting to conservative unimodal approach. DOI: 10.21276/AAMS.1906