VARK: Assessment of the Learning Mode Preferences of Undergraduate Students in a Dental Teaching Hospital

Abstract

Objective:This study aimed to evaluate the preferences of learning style among third and final-year students of dentistry by VARK questionnaire and to evaluate the relationship between learning style preferences between both sexes.

Materials and Methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted at de Montmorency College of Dentistry, Lahore. In this study, 385 students participated voluntarily. We administered a learning style questionnaire (VARK mode version 8.01l) to all students and evaluated their chosen learning mode. The questionnaire contains 16 multiple-choice questions. The students were asked to select any one option. The frequency of VARK preferences was determined using guidelines that are given in the VARK® guidelines. In this study, the unimodal (V, A, R, or K) category of learning mode preferences was used. Percentage and frequency were determined for qualitative variables. The chi-square test was used to determine the relationship between learning style preferences among the sexes. A p-value of 0.05 was considered significant.

Results:In this study out of 385 students (114 males and 271 females), the frequency of various VARK models reported were Visual (20.50%), auditory (27.95%), read/write (14.84%), and kinesthetic (36.70%). The kinesthetic (36.70%) and auditory (27.95%) were the most common unimodal learning modes. Concerning gender, 11.87% of males whereas 24.84% of females preferred the kinesthetic mode of learning.

Conclusion:This study provides information to make better the learning of students and to match the style of teaching with the learning mode preferences of students.