Purpose The present study aimed to identify the learning preferences of dental students and to characterize their relationship with academic performance at a dental school in Isfahan, Iran.
Methods This cross-sectional descriptive study included 200 undergraduate dental students from October to November 2016. Data were collected using a 2-part questionnaire. The first part included demographic data, and the second part was a Persian-language version of the visual, aural, read/write, and kinesthetic questionnaire. Data analysis was conducted with the chi-square test, 1-way analysis of variance, and multiple linear regression.
Results The response rate was 86.6%. Approximately half of the students (51.5%) had multimodal learning preferences. Among the unimodal group (48.5%), the most common mode was aural (24.0%), followed by kinesthetic (15.5%), reading-writing (8.0%), and visual (1.0%). There was a significant association between academic performance and the reading/writing learning style preference (P< 0.01).
Conclusion Multimodal learning styles were the most preferred. Among single-mode learning styles, the aural style was most common, followed by the kinesthetic style. Students with a reading/writing preference had better academic performance. The results of this study provide useful information for preparing a more problem-based curriculum with active learning strategies.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Eye-tracking insights into cognitive strategies, learning styles, and academic outcomes of Turkish medicine students Hande Argunsah, Levent Altıntaş, Melike Şahiner BMC Medical Education.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Preferred Learning Methods among First-year Medical Students: A Cross-Sectional Descriptive Study Gholamali Dehghani Depiction of Health.2024; 15(1): 27. CrossRef
Investigation of learning style patterns: A case study of basic sciences medical students at Tabriz University of Medical Sciences Gholamali Dehghani, Saeideh Ghaffarifar Journal of Medical Education Development.2024; 17(55): 75. CrossRef
Does learning style influence performance in objective structured clinical examinations? Anne-Cécile Ezanno, Florie Pirot, Julie Lavolé, Guillaume Le Gall, Raphaelle Mestiri, Charlotte Delattre, Sébastien Le Burel, Sandra Le Mener, Marie Gominet, Cécile Ficko, Hubert Nielly BMC Medical Education.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Learning styles vs. virtual education preferences: a cross-sectional study on medical sciences e-students Zahra Karimian, Zahra Zolfaghari Frontiers in Education.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Quantitative Evaluation of Dental Students’ Perceptions of the Roleplay-Video Teaching Modality in Clinical Courses of Dentistry: A Pilot Study Kiran Kumar Ganji, Anil Kumar Nagarajappa, Mohammed G Sghaireen, Kumar Chandan Srivastava, Mohammad Khursheed Alam, Shadi Nashwan, Ahmad Al-Qerem, Yousef Khader Healthcare.2023; 11(5): 735. CrossRef
Effectiveness of differentiated instruction on learning outcomes and learning satisfaction in the evidence‐based nursing course: Empirical research quantitative Shwu‐Ru Liou, Ching‐Yu Cheng, Tsui‐Ping Chu, Chia‐Hao Chang, Hsiu‐Chen Liu Nursing Open.2023; 10(10): 6794. CrossRef
Empowering individual learners: Call for promoting inclusivity among medical students with different learning styles Saurabh RamBihariLal Shrivastava, Novina Aryanti, Arief Wibawa Environmental Disease.2023; 8(3): 78. CrossRef
Unveiling the learning style puzzle: Factors that shape how medical students learn SaurabhRamBihariLal Shrivastava, DhiyaulAthifah M. Jasri Indian Journal of Health Sciences and Biomedical Research (KLEU).2023; 16(3): 435. CrossRef
Knowledge, attitude and practice of dentists toward providing care to the geriatric patients Bahareh Tahani, Skekoufeh Sedaghat Manesh BMC Geriatrics.2021;[Epub] CrossRef
The effect of learning style and general self-efficacy on satisfaction of e-Learning in dental students Tahereh Baherimoghadam, Shahram Hamedani, Manoosh mehrabi, Navid Naseri, Nooshin Marzban BMC Medical Education.2021;[Epub] CrossRef
Identification of Preferred Learning Style of Medical and Dental Students Using VARK Questionnaire Ayesha Fahim, Saba Rehman, Fariha Fayyaz, Mariyah Javed, Muhammad Anwaar Alam, Sadia Rana, Fahim Haider Jafari, Mohammad Khursheed Alam, Mauro Henrique Nogueira Guimarães Abreu BioMed Research International.2021;[Epub] CrossRef
Assessing the Students’ Perception of the Quality of Dental Program offered in Saudi Arabia Ahmed Al Kuwaiti The Open Dentistry Journal.2021; 15(1): 650. CrossRef
An Assessment of Learning Styles of Undergraduate Medical Students in Three Different Types of Curriculum Abdulrahman Alfawzan, Moeber Mahzari, Sajida Agha, Aamir Omair, Omar Alfawzan, Reema Alessa, Abdulaziz Alturki, Kholoud Alshiha Journal of Nature and Science of Medicine.2021; 4(3): 267. CrossRef
General Self-Efficacy and Self-Perceived Confidence of Dental Students in Performing Orthodontic Clinical Skills Shahla Momeni Danaei, Niloofar Azadeh, Dana Jafarpur Educational Research in Medical Sciences.2018;[Epub] CrossRef
Learning Style and Academic Achievement among Students at Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Iran Horyeh Sarbazvatan, Abolghasem Amini, Nayyereh Aminisani, SeyedMorteza Shamshirgaran, Saeideh Ghaffarifar Research and Development in Medical Education.2018; 7(2): 77. CrossRef