Can learning style predict student satisfaction with different instructionmethods and academic achievement in medical education?

摘要

The cur-riculum of our medical school has a hybrid structure including bothtraditional training (lectures) and problem-based learning (PBL) ap-plications. The purpose of this study was to determine the learningstyles of our medical students and investigate the relation of learningstyles with each of satisfaction with different instruction methods andacademic achievement in them. This study was carried out with theparticipation of 170 first-year medical students (the participation ratewas 91.4%). The researchers prepared sociodemographic and satis-faction questionnaires to determine the characteristics of the partici-pants and their satisfaction levels with traditional training and PBL.The Kolb learning styles inventory was used to explore the learningstyles of the study group. The participants completed all forms at theend of the first year of medical education. Indicators of academicachievement were scores of five theoretical block exams and five PBLexams performed throughout the academic year of 2008-2009. Themajority of the participants took part in the "diverging" (n = 84,47.7%) and "assimilating" (n = 73, 41.5%) groups. Numbers ofstudents in the "converging" and "accommodating" groups were 11(6.3%) and 8 (4.5%), respectively. In all learning style groups, PBLsatisfaction scores were significantly higher than those of traditionaltraining. Exam scores for "PBL and traditional training" did not differamong the four learning styles. In logistic regression analysis, learn-ing style (assimilating) predicted student satisfaction with traditionaltraining and success in theoretical block exams. Nothing predictedPBL satisfaction and success. This is the first study conducted amongmedical students evaluating the relation of learning style with studentsatisfaction and academic achievement. More research with largergroups is needed to generalize our results. Some learning styles mayrelate to satisfaction with and achievement in some instructionmethods.