The relationship between learning styles and academic performance in TURKISH physiotherapy students

The impact of study habits and personal factors on the academic achievement performances of medical students

BACKGROUND

Academic achievement is essential for all students seeking a successful career. Studying habits and routines is crucial in achieving such an ultimate goal.

OBJECTIVES

This study investigates the association between study habits, personal factors, and academic achievement, aiming to identify factors that distinguish academically successful medical students.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted at the College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The participants consisted of 1st through 5th-year medical students, with a sample size of 336. The research team collected study data using an electronic questionnaire containing three sections: socio-demographic data, personal characteristics, and study habits.

RESULTS

The study results indicated a statistically significant association between self-fulfillment as a motivation toward studying and academic achievement (p = 0.04). The results also showed a statistically significant correlation between recalling recently memorized information and academic achievement (p = 0.05). Furthermore, a statistically significant association between preferring the information to be presented in a graphical form rather than a written one and academic achievement was also found (p = 0.03). Students who were satisfied with their academic performance had 1.6 times greater chances of having a high-grade point average (OR = 1.6, p = 0.08).

CONCLUSION

The results of this study support the available literature, indicating a correlation between study habits and high academic performance. Further multicenter studies are warranted to differentiate between high-achieving students and their peers using qualitative, semi-structured interviews. Educating the students about healthy study habits and enhancing their learning skills would also be of value.

How COVID-19 elucidated challenges in the pedagogy of physiotherapy entry-level education in Brazil and directions for their remediation with special attention to digital teaching and learning

INTRODUCTION

As experienced physiotherapy educators in Brazil, we observed that COVID-19 elucidated challenges in the pedagogy of entry-level education overall, and directions for their remediation. In this commentary, we describe our observations with particular attention to the opportunity for digital and distance teaching and learning in Brazil's exemplary middle-income country.

BODY

First, the legislation in Brazil around health professional education, specifically entry-level physiotherapy education, is described concerning distanced learning. Then, we contrast such education before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, and in the aftermath of its peak. Our observations reinforce the need to preserve teaching and learning excellence in physiotherapy education with various approaches including distanced and digital learning; be aware of both advantages and disadvantages; and identify means of balancing these for optimal delivery and learner outcomes. Our collective experience and insights strongly support the need for change in the legislative document governing physiotherapy education in Brazil.

CONCLUSION

We hope our experiences will enable other educators to evaluate their contexts, reflect on how best to deliver entry-level physiotherapy education in general and during a pandemic, and reinforce the essentiality of practical face-to-face classes in achieving physiotherapy competencies. Only in this way will global standards of practice be ensured, through quality professional education and the factors that inform and govern these.

Local experience of laboratory activities in a BS physical therapy course: integrating sEMG and kinematics technology with active learning across six cohorts

Introduction

Integrating technology and active learning methods into Laboratory activities would be a transformative educational experience to familiarize physical therapy (PT) students with STEM backgrounds and STEM-based new technologies. However, PT students struggle with technology and feel comfortable memorizing under expositive lectures. Thus, we described the difficulties, uncertainties, and advances observed by faculties on students and the perceptions about learning, satisfaction, and grades of students after implementing laboratory activities in a PT undergraduate course, which integrated surface-electromyography (sEMG) and kinematic technology combined with active learning methods.

Methods

Six cohorts of PT students (n = 482) of a second-year PT course were included. The course had expositive lectures and seven laboratory activities. Students interpreted the evidence and addressed different motor control problems related to daily life movements. The difficulties, uncertainties, and advances observed by faculties on students, as well as the students' perceptions about learning, satisfaction with the course activities, and grades of students, were described.

Results

The number of students indicating that the methodology was "always" or "almost always," promoting creative, analytical, or critical thinking was 70.5% [61.0-88.0%]. Satisfaction with the whole course was 97.0% [93.0-98.0%]. Laboratory grades were linearly associated to course grades with a regression coefficient of 0.53 and 0.43 R-squared (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

Integrating sEMG and kinematics technology with active learning into laboratory activities enhances students' engagement and understanding of human movement. This approach holds promises to improve teaching-learning processes, which were observed consistently across the cohorts of students.

Implementing a student-centered stroke intervention and prevention education program; evaluating motivation, cognitive load, and performance among middle school students

Background

In this study, we investigated the association between motivation, cognitive load, difficulty, and performance in a stroke education outreach program implemented for middle school students.

Methods

Various interactive instructional activities were developed to engage students throughout the program to assess cognitive and intrinsic load arising from learner implementation of various tasks in a stroke education program for middle school kids. Performance was measured using a post-test to assess knowledge gained by the 6th, 7th, and 8th-grade middle school students. A short questionnaire was also administered to collect data on students' motivation using the ARCS model to asses attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction. In addition, we evaluated difficulty level and cognitive load. The relationship between performance and motivation was assessed using Pearson's correlation.

Results

In our results, there was no significant difference (p > 0.05) in performance between the 6th, 7th, and 8th-grade students. The difference in performance, cognitive load (mental effort and difficulty), or motivation between the 6th, 7th, and 8 t-grade students was not significant (p > 0.05). The correlation between motivation and performance was significant (r = 0.87, p = 0.001), while the correlation between mental effort and performance was not significant (r = 0.34, p = 0.270). Also, the correlation between difficulty and performance was not significant (r = 0.38, p = 0.361). In the ARCS motivation model, attention, and confidence received the lowest mean scores (3.9), while relevance received the highest score (4.3).

Conclusion

Our findings reveal the importance of implementing novel activities to enhance students' motivation to improve performance in the implementation of stroke education outreach programs for middle school students.

Deciphering the Nexus: Exploring Learning Styles and Academic Success Among Medical Students Through a Comprehensive Study

In the dynamic landscape of medical education, recognizing and catering to the diverse learning styles of students are pivotal for fostering academic success. This study investigates the intricate relationship between learning styles and academic performance among medical students. A sample comprising 201 second-year Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) students from two batches participated in this cross-sectional study. Utilizing the Grasha-Riechmann Student Learning Style Scales, students were categorized into six distinct learning styles: independent, avoidant, collaborative, dependent, competitive, and participatory. Academic performance was assessed through cumulative scores at the end of the academic year. Statistical analyses, including descriptive statistics, Spearman's correlation analysis, and the Kruskal-Wallis H test, were conducted using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 25, (Released 2017; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, United States). The findings revealed a rich diversity of learning styles among medical students, with independent learning emerging as the most prevalent style. However, intriguingly, no statistically significant difference in academic performance was discerned across the various learning styles. Nonetheless, correlation analysis uncovered weak positive correlations between independent, dependent, and participatory learning styles with academic performance, while an equally weak negative correlation was observed for the avoidant style. These results underscore the necessity for tailored educational strategies that can accommodate the heterogeneous learning preferences exhibited by medical students. While certain learning styles may be favoured by students, their adoption does not guarantee academic success. Thus, educators are urged to embrace flexible teaching methodologies to accommodate the diverse learning styles present within medical education, ultimately fostering student engagement and achievement. This study illuminates the imperative of understanding and addressing diverse learning styles among medical students, laying the foundation for further research into optimizing teaching methodologies in medical education.

Occupational Therapy students' Concepts of Learning: Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Associations With Deep, Strategic, and Surface Study Approaches

This study aimed to gain knowledge about the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between learning concepts and approaches to studying among occupational therapy students. A repeated cross-sectional design was combined with a longitudinal study design. Self-report questionnaires assessed sociodemographic variables, learning concepts, and approaches to studying (deep/strategic/surface). Linear regression analyses (n ranging between 109 and 193 in the analyses) showed that higher transforming concept ratings were consistently associated with higher ratings on the deep study approach, both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. Higher reproducing concept ratings were positively associated with higher strategic approach ratings in the second and third study years. In view of the results, students' understanding of what learning is impacts on their study attitudes and behaviors, which in turn is likely to influence learning outcomes and academic performance.

The Efficacy of Utilizing the Anatomage Table as a Supplementary Educational Resource in Osteology Instruction for First-Year Medical Students

Introduction Osteology is the detailed study of the structure of the bones. This study assesses the effectiveness of employing the 3D visualization tool Anatomage table as a learning adjunct to osteology training in first-year medical students by post-test evaluations related to the humerus, radius, and ulna bones. Method This study was conducted in first-year medical graduate students in the Department of Anatomy, All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), Raipur, India. Students included in the study were divided into two groups by simple random sampling after voluntary consent. The study group students, Group A, were taught osteology by traditional teaching and visualizing bone with a tool, an Anatomage table. The control group (Group B) is for traditional teaching. The study involved demonstrating each group's humerus, radius, and ulna bones, with sessions lasting 60 minutes. After each topic, a post-test was administered. A total of 94 students for the test for the humerus bone, 98 students for the radius bones, and 85 students for the ulna bones responded to the post-test conducted after sessions. Descriptive statistics were assessed using mean and standard deviation. Independent sample t-tests compare the mean marks obtained post-test by two groups of students. Results The results indicated that students in Group A scored higher mean marks than their counterparts in Group B across all three bone post-tests, but the significance of the differences varied. For humerus, mean marks obtained by students of Group A (Anatomage table teaching) (mean±SD: 4.00± 1.10) were higher than those of Group B (traditional teaching) (mean±SD: 3.63± 1.36). Still, we do not observe a statistically significant difference in mean marks of students of Group A vs. students of Group B (P=0.166, P>0.05). For radius, we observe statistically higher mean marks among students of Group A (mean±SD: 3.72±0.944) compared to students of Group B (mean±SD: 3.22±1.08) (P=0.021, P<0.05). Similarly, for ulna, we observe higher mean marks for Group A (mean±SD: 3.18.00±1.55) as compared to Group B (mean±SD: 3.13±1.21) but do not observe a statistically significant difference in mean marks of students of Group A vs. students of Group B (P=0.875, P>.05). Conclusion Including the Anatomage table for visualization during osteology sessions yielded benefits for all three sessions. Future studies could employ more extensive and diverse samples to validate the findings further and incorporate qualitative methods to gain insights into students' perceptions of both teaching methods.

Learning styles and their relationship with preferred teaching methodologies and academic achievement among medical students in teaching medical college, Tamil Nadu

BACKGROUND

Learning styles for medical students have been studied worldwide, and instructors must know and employ the best methods to help students learn. This study evaluates undergraduate medical students' learning styles, preferred teaching methods, and academic examination scores.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

From January to December 2022, this cross-sectional study was performed with medical students at a teaching hospital in Perambalur, Tamil Nadu, India. About 421 individuals were selected using a probability-proportionate size sampling method. A semi-structured pro forma was used to collect the socio-demographic profile, VARK model learning style questionnaire, and teaching method preferences. The data were analyzed using SPSS-21, and the categorical data were represented as frequency and percentage, whereas mean and standard deviation represent quantitative data. The Chi-square test was used to investigate the relationship between academic performance and teaching approaches to the preferred learning style.

RESULTS

Kinesthetic learning was the preferred sensory modality. Nearly 61.8% of medical students were female. The most common preferred learning style among them was (36.8%) kinesthetic, followed by (36.1%) auditory. Most of them received good academic results (64.8%), followed by average (21.9%) results. Most of the students had chosen a demonstration (81.2%), followed by an interactive lecture (77.2%), as their preferred teaching method. There is a significant association of learning style with participant age (p 0.007), year of study (p 0.0001), and preferred teaching methodologies like a demonstration, small group discussion, self-presentation, and laboratory work, which is statistically significant. There is no association between learning style and academic performance.

CONCLUSION

Different teaching approaches, such as demonstration, small-group discussion, self-presentation, and laboratory work, were related to the various learning styles of the students. We also determined that the individuals' preferred learning styles do not affect their academic achievement.

Scientific creativity and innovation ability and its determinants among medical postgraduate students in Fujian province of China: a cross sectional study

BACKGROUND

Graduate education is the main approach to training high-level innovative elites. With the expansion of the scale of graduate education in China, it has gradually emerged that the lack of innovation ability of graduate students is recognized as the primary problem in graduate education. How to comprehensively improve the quality of postgraduate teaching has become the core task of educational reform and development. However, data about the current cultivation and development of the innovative ability of graduate students in China is limited.

METHODS

A questionnaire survey was conducted among medical postgraduate students. Descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis methods were used to analyze the data to describe the current innovation ability in advanced medical education and potential influence factors.

RESULTS

A total of 1241 medical students were surveyed, according to the results of questionnaire data analysis. The proportion of subjects who participated in the College Student's Entrepreneurship and Innovation program or any other scientific research programs are fairly high which are 46.82% and 29.20% respectively. Most of the participants are observed with high levels of self-motivation and active learning and have good performance in creative thinking. However, only a small number of participants (16.6%) reported academic achievements such as publications. Most of the students are satisfied with the current scientific research environment and think that the current postgraduate training system is qualified for the cultivation of innovation ability, and expects the inclusion of course specialized in systemic medicine and medical informatics in the curricula. Multiple logistic regression results showed that among the factors studied, gender, medical specialties, and types of master's degrees are associated with cognition & skills, academic performance, and creativity.

CONCLUSIONS

It will be important to incorporate more techniques for creating and improving creativity in the curricula of the current postgraduate education, especially for courses such as systemic medicine and informatics. Guidance in earlier school life can stimulate creativity and an early introduction to scientific research work will facilitate innovative thinking and behavior. Scientific research programs such as the National Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training for the universities of PRC have been widely implemented in the undergraduate education system throughout the country. However, the training effectiveness of the current scientific research programs is worth improving.

Learning styles of medical students and related factors

BACKGROUND

The concept of learning style is quite important for teachers to teach, organize students' learning experiences, and accomplish educational goals. Motivation is one of the most important psychological concepts in education. Motivation is multidimensional and ranges from amotivation to extrinsic motivation and intrinsic motivation. When students are motivated extrinsically, they enjoy striving toward rewards and goals which may differ from individual goals. Intrinsically motivated students enjoy exploring, learning, and curiosity-oriented academic efforts. Understanding learning styles can make it easier to create, modify, and develop more efficient curriculum and educational programs. It can also encourage students' participation in these programs and motivate them to gain professional knowledge This study aims to determine the learning styles of medical school students and to evaluate whether there is a relationship between their learning styles and academic motivation and the sociodemographic variables.

METHODS

In this study a questionnaire containing socio-demographic factors, Grasha-Reichmann Learning Styles Scale, Academic Motivation Scale was filled out by 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th -year medical students of the 2019-2020 academic year. Frequency, percentage, mean, ANOVA, Pearson correlation analysis, and independent group t-test (for analyzing data with normal distribution) were applied. Mann Whitney U test, Kruskal Wallis test, and Spearman correlation analysis were used for analyzing data without normal distribution.

RESULTS

We found that the mean of independent learning was the highest among the learning style dimensions, and the mean of the intrinsic motivation to know (IMKN) was the highest among the academic motivation dimensions. We found that there were significant relationships between independent learning and intrinsic motivation (IM), between avoidant learning and extrinsic motivation (EM) and between collaborative learning and IMKN, IM to accomplish things (IMAT) and IM to experience stimulation (IMES).

CONCLUSION

We think that different teaching methods can be applied to strengthen collaborative learning, participant learning, and intrinsic motivation. We hope that this research will contribute to medical education on the subject of establishing appropriate teaching methods. Teachers have to plan and implement activities based on students' learning styles and academic motivation to encourage students to effectively participate in the classroom.

A Deep-Learning Framework for Analysing Students’ Review in Higher Education

As part of continuous process improvements to teaching and learning, the management of tertiary institutions requests students to review modules towards the end of each semester. These reviews capture students’ perceptions about various aspects of their learning experience. Considering the large volume of textual feedback, it is not feasible to manually analyze all the comments, hence the need for automated approaches. This study presents a framework for analyzing students’ qualitative reviews. The framework consists of four distinct components: aspect-term extraction, aspect-category identification, sentiment polarity determination, and grades’ prediction. We evaluated the framework with the dataset from the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR). A sample size of 1,111 reviews was used. A microaverage F1-score of 0.67 was achieved using Bi- LSTM-CRF and BIO tagging scheme for aspect-term extraction. Twelve aspect categories were then defined for the education domain and four variants of RNNs models (GRU, LSTM, Bi-LSTM, and Bi-GRU) were compared. A Bi-GRU model was developed for sentiment polarity determination and the model achieved a weighted F1-score of 0.96 for sentiment analysis. Finally, a Bi-LSTM-ANN model which combined textual and numerical features was implemented to predict students’ grades based on the reviews. A weighted F1-score of 0.59 was obtained, and out of 29 students with “F” grade, 20 were correctly identified by the model.

A COMPARISON OF ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AND ATTITUDES TOWARD E-LEARNING ACCORDING TO THE LEARNING STYLES OF TURKISH PHYSIOTHERAPY STUDENTS IN DISTANCE EDUCATION DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC PROCESS

Purpose: Learning style plays a crucial role in the education process and academic performance. However, there exists no study investigating the academic performance and attitudes towards e-learning according to the learning styles of Turkish physiotherapy students in distance education. Therefore, this study aimed to compare academic performance and attitudes towards e-learning according to the learning styles of Turkish physiotherapy students in distance education. Methods: The study was designed as a cross-sectional study type. Physiotherapy students were divided into 4 groups according to learning styles (visual, n=39, auditory, n=30, tactile, n=37, and kinesthetic, n=30). Their attitudes towards e-learning including the tendency to use technology (TUS), satisfaction, motivation, and usefulness were assessed with the Attitude Scale Towards e-learning (ASTE). Academic grade point averages (AGPA) of the 2020-2021 academic year fall semester were recorded. Results: The visual group had the highest AGPA (p

Understanding Learning Styles in Undergraduate Nursing Programs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: An Integrative Literature Review

Background:

In Saudi Arabia, nursing education is developing fast due to high nursing demand. Alongside this development, nurse educators must identify and understand nursing students learning styles to ensure the multidimensional development of students learning experiences. Students' preferred learning style is an essential element in determining students' unique ways of processing new knowledge, information, and skills.

Objective:

This literature review aimed to identify the learning styles of undergraduate Saudi nursing students based on the premises of three learning style models: Kolb’s Model, Felder-Silverman Learning, and Visual, Aural, Read/Write, and Kinesthetic (VARK) Learning Styles Inventory.

Methods:

An integrative review of published studies on Saudi nursing students' learning styles was conducted while adhering to predefined eligibility measures. The research strategy for this study was based on online international databases, such as PubMed, Medline, CINAHL, EBSCO, Google Scholar, and Saudi health databases and journals. The keywords used were: “nursing education,” “learning style,” “learning preference,” “academic learning style,” “undergraduate nursing students,” and “nursing students in Saudi Arabia.”

Results:

Seven studies met the inclusion criteria. Most of the reviewed literature reported a prominent preference for kinesthetic, accommodating, converging, visual, and active learning styles in nursing students regardless of their age, gender, and level of education in various universities in Saudi Arabia.

Conclusion:

Students learning styles emphasize the importance of practical experience and students' hands-on practice as the best style that improves nursing students learning experience. The Saudi Arabian education system must adjust to fit students' preferred learning styles and focus on advanced state-of-the-science learning tools in nursing education.

Do learning styles influence learning outcomes in anatomy in first-year medical students?

Background

Learning styles are a key element for teachers for any given learning environment. The Visual, Aural/Auditory, Reading/write, Kinesthetic (VARK) instrument is easy to administer and can have an impact on the quality of learning environment. The present study was done to understand the learning styles preferred by the students using VARK questionnaire and correlating learning styles with their academic performance.

Materials and Methods

The study was conducted on 100 first-year MBBS students. Students were categorized into five groups of learners: visual, auditory, read/write, kinesthetic, and multimodal, based on their scores obtained after administering VARK questionnaire. First internal marks of theory and practicals were collected. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was done in five groups of learning styles.

Results

Out of 97, 13 were visual, 25 were auditory, 5 were read/write, 40 were kinesthetic, and 14 were multimodal type of learners. Three students were chronic absentees and were excluded from the study. The student who scored highest in theory internal assessment belonged to visual and kinesthetic type of learner, whereas who scored least was a kinesthetic learner. The student who scored highest in practical internal assessment was a multimodal learner and who scored least was a kinesthetic learner, The P value for theory was 0.773 and for practicals was 0.26, ANOVA for theory is 0.33 and for practicals is 0.057.

Conclusion

There was no statistic difference in theory performance, however with respect to practicals, the ANOVA value was 5%. Hence, the aforementioned results may be suggestive of correlation between learning style and academic performance.

Nomograms for Predicting Medical Students' Perceptions of the Learning Environment: Multicenter Evidence From Medical Schools in China

Medical students' perceptions of the medical school learning environment (MSLE) have an important impact on their professional development, and physical and mental health. Few studies reported potential factors that influenced medical students' perceptions of MSLE. Thus, the main goal of this study was to identify influencing factors for medical students' perception levels of MSLE. The perception levels of MSLE were assessed by the Johns Hopkins Learning Environment Scale. The univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify significant predictors for the perceptions of MSLE. The nomograms were established to predict medical students' perception levels of MSLE. In the multivariate logistic regression model, gender, university category, grade, mother education level, learning environment of schools, interests in medicine, and Kolb learning experience were significantly associated with medical students' perceptions of MSLE. Correspondently, the nomograms were built based on significant variables identified by the univariate logistic regression analysis. The validation of the nomograms showed that the model had promising predictive accuracy, discrimination, and accordance (area under the curve (AUC) = 0.751). This study identified influencing factors of medical students' perceptions of MSLE. It is essential to implement corresponding interventions to improve medical students' perceptions.

Investigation of the relationship between chronotype, learning style and academic achievement of university students during distance education in the pandemic period

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between chronotype, learning style, and academic achievement. The study sample consisted of 1884 volunteer undergraduate students from 58 different universities across Turkey. The data were collected online during distance education because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Turkish version of Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ) and Big16 Learning Modality Inventory were used for data collection. The correlation between chronotype and cumulative grade point average (CGPA) scores was analyzed using Spearman's rho, and differences among the chronotypes were analyzed with Kruskal-Wallis test. Chi-square tests with pairwise z-test were used to analyze the relationships between the participants' learning style preferences and chronotypes. Also, ANCOVA analyses were performed to evaluate the interactions of gender × chronotype and gender × learning style on CGPA scores. The results revealed that participants' preference for visual and auditory styles differed by chronotype. Visual learning style was more dominant among morning (M) types, while auditory style was more dominant among evening (E) types. However, the most preferred learning style was visual, followed by auditory and kinesthetic styles for all chronotypes. No relationship was found between chronotype and academic achievement. The CGPA scores of the participants with kinesthetic learning style were lower than the participants with auditory and visual learning styles. The female participants had higher CGPA score than males. However, the CGPA scores did not differ for both male and female participants with different chronotype and learning style preferences. From the results, we suggest that academic achievement can be enhanced by consideration of students' learning style preferences for all chronotypes.

Psychological Capital Profiles and Their Relationship With Internal Learning in Teams of Undergraduate Students

This study aims to analyze the relationship between psychological capital profiles and internal learning in teams. The participants in this study were 480 undergraduate students. We performed a cluster analysis using the SPSS and yielded four distinct psychological capital profiles. The student profile with the highest scores in self-efficacy, optimism, hope, and resilience (Profile 2-Fully PsyCap) exhibited also the highest scores of internal learning in teams. On the other hand, the student profile with the lowest scores in self-efficacy, optimism, hope, and resilience (Profile 1- Empty PsyCap) presented the lowest scores of internal learning in teams. It is also noteworthy that there was no significant relationship between the profile with a positive combination between self-efficacy and hope (profile 4) and the profile that presents the optimism as the only positive psychological capability (profile 3), in the way they relate to internal learning in teams, which led us to reject the second hypothesis of the study. This study reinforces the role of psychological capital in academic settings and suggests that psychological capital profiles can affect internal learning in teams differentially.

Enhancing Toxicology Achievement by the VARK and the GRSLSS-mixed Models in Team-Based Learning

Toxicology is needed to implement in the occupational health and safety (OHS) curriculum. Teaching toxicology is very challenging as its multidisciplinary science. Keeping students engaged in learning is a difficult issue when introducing solely theoretical framework. To enhance student performance, educators need to be aware of different learning styles and teach students accordingly. This study aimed to examine preferred learning styles and to further investigate the impact of learning style on team allocation and the effectiveness of team-based learning (TBL) in toxicology. A cross-sectional study of OHS students was performed. The visual, aural, reading/writing, and kinesthetic (VARK) learning style questionnaire and the Grasha–Reichmann Student Learning Styles Scale (GRSLSS), which identifies independent, dependent, collaborative, participant, competitive, and avoidant learning styles, were used with 101 study participants. After classification, participants studied three aspects of toxicology in three respective situations: (i) individual learning, (ii) TBL with students of the same VARK learning style, and (iii) TBL with students of varying VARK learning styles. Afterward, participants wrote a test on each of the aspects. The dominant VARK and GRSLSS learning styles were reading/writing (33.33%) and collaborative (50.00%), respectively. The participants achieved the highest test scores (88.31%) when they studied in a team with the various VARK styles, followed by studying in a team with the same VARK style (83.43%). Individual learning produced the lowest average score (69.79%). The results of this study suggest that creating a successful heterogeneity team based on the preferred learning styles is an effective teaching method in toxicology. It might be useful to toxicology educators and research studies from a wide range of disciplines to enhance student performance.

Online Problem-Based Learning Intervention on Self-Directed Learning and Problem-Solving through Group Work: A Waitlist Controlled Trial

Background: Small group work embraces independent study and interactive learning, which enhance knowledge acquisition and skills. Self-directed learning (SDL) and problem-solving (PS) are essential skills in the development of the nursing profession. During the coronavirus pandemic, virtual learning was indispensable. However, little is known about how students develop SDL and PS abilities through online learning through group work. Objective: To evaluate the effects of the online intervention on SDL and PS abilities through interactive group work. Methods: A randomised waitlist-control trial was carried out. A structured intervention using problem-based learning (PBL) as a guideline was used to direct student learning in small group work. Assessments were scheduled at Time 0 (baseline), Time 1 (8th week), Time 2 (16th week), and Time 3 (28th week). Results: The mean student age was 21.45 (SD = 0.86). About 78% of students were female. There was no significant difference in demographic characteristics and analysis at the baseline. Students in the intervention group reported greater improvement in the SDLRS and PSI at the 8th week, whereas those in the waitlist control group reported greater improvement in the SDLRS and PSI at the 16th week. Sustained effects in the SDLRS and PSI were observed in both the intervention and waitlist control groups at the 16th and 28th weeks, respectively. A repeated-measure analysis was performed to compare the SDLRS and PSI in different periods and revealed statistically significant results (p < 0.001) in all subscales of SDLRS and PSI in the four study periods. Conclusions: The guidelines appear to be an effective treatment for SDL and PS ability enhancement with sustainable effects through interactive group work. The guidelines with explicit instructions and learning objectives provide directions and guidance to students to learn more effectively. The educator plays a vital role in facilitating the students’ SDL and PS ability improvement.

Instruments to evaluate undergraduate healthcare student learning styles globally: A scoping review

BACKGROUND

Recognizing learning styles is important to maximizing learning outcomes and many instruments are available to investigate learning styles.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate instruments with evidence of validity and reliability most commonly used to evaluate undergraduate healthcare student learning styles globally.

METHOD

This scoping review of literature was guided by The Joanna Briggs Institute's recommendations for conducting scoping reviews and the PRISMA-ScR (extension for scoping reviews). The protocol is available for access.

DATA SOURCES

Databases searched included Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus. Inclusion criteria were: fully accessible; written in English, Portuguese, or Spanish; and used reliable and/or validated instruments to describe healthcare student learning styles. Articles were excluded if the sample included healthcare professionals, there was no report of the instrument validity and reliability, or was not fully accessible. Data were extracted from each article and entered into Microsoft Office Excel documents for analysis.

RESULTS

Forty-seven articles were selected for full review, including cross-sectional, interventional, and longitudinal studies. Eleven instruments were identified with evidence of reliability and validity for assessing undergraduate healthcare student learning styles globally. The most frequently used instruments were Visual, Aural, Read-Write, and Kinesthetic; Kolb's Learning Styles Inventory; and the Honey-Alonso Questionnaire. Most instruments were developed based on a theoretical framework and/or model.

CONCLUSION

This scoping review adds to the literature an overview of available instruments which measure healthcare student learning styles with evidence of both reliability and validity. The results indicate the need for further studies to improve learning style instruments for use in intervention studies aimed at improving the teaching-learning process for healthcare students.

A feedback journey: employing a constructivist approach to the development of feedback literacy among health professional learners

BACKGROUND

Feedback, if effectively provided by the teacher and utilised by the learner, enables improvement in academic performance. It is clear from current literature that the provision of feedback by teachers is not sufficient on its own to guarantee improvements as early university entrants may not be sufficiently equipped to effectively engage with feedback. Nonetheless, it is critical for health professional students to develop feedback literacy early, in order to prepare them for a professional career of lifelong learning and critical thinking. The overarching aim of this study was to identify a feasible, sustainable approach to improve feedback literacy among students on pre-qualifying health professional programmes.

METHODS

The study was divided into two phases. A mixed-methods approach grounded in constructivism was employed. Participants included teachers and learners from the School of Allied Health at X University, and two internationally acclaimed educationalists. In phase 1, first year students were encouraged to use an established online platform to upload modular feedback and develop personal learning action plans aimed at improving academic performance. A follow-up survey highlighted poor engagement with this method. Thus, the second phase focused on the co-construction of a suite of modules to develop these skills, supported by academic staff. Interviews were conducted with participants to review and refine this initiative.

RESULTS

Learners' engagement with the first phase of the study was poor. Thus, the second phase provided all stakeholders with the opportunity to feed into the development of a suite of modules, designed to encourage teachers and learners to work in partnership to nurture these skills. All stakeholder groups reported short- and long-term benefits with this approach, but also highlighted challenges towards its implementation.

CONCLUSION

The development of feedback literacy among health professional learners is essential. The transferability of such skills has been highlighted in the literature and by all stakeholder groups involved in this study. Finding a balance between introducing these skills at a time early enough to highlight their importance among university entrants is challenging. Further balance must be achieved between the workload required to achieve these skills and current programme demands for both teachers and learners.

Factors associated with self-directed learning among undergraduate nursing students: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Self-directed learning (SDL) is encouraged in professional education because it nurtures students' self-motivation and promotes accountability to their own learning. SDL is crucial to fostering collaborative skills for multi-disciplinary practice in today's healthcare settings.

OBJECTIVE

To identify factors associated with SDL ability among undergraduate nursing students.

DESIGN

A systematic review was conducted.

METHODS

The PICO (population, intervention, comparison and outcomes) strategy was used as a guide. Searches were done of studies published between May 2010 and April 2020 via MEDLINE, CINAHL, and EMBASE, as well as print. Screening, selection, and data extraction were performed by two independent reviewers. All discrepancies were resolved through discussion or by consulting a third reviewer.

RESULT

A total of 18 of 1576 articles were selected based on the PRISMA process. The methodological quality of all included studies was mostly moderate. Factors associated with SDL were identified from both quantitative and qualitative evidence. Upon the integration of all evidence, the results showed that SDL is developed with the interaction environmental influence (types of study programmes, study years, and teaching-learning strategies) and personal influence [personal characteristics (age and gender) and learning attributes (problem-solving ability, self-efficacy, learning attitude and learning interest). Strategies employing individual study and small group learning with adequate support by educators exert a great deal of positive effect on SDL improvement.

CONCLUSION

All identified factors improve students' SDL. The results of the review revealed SDL development with the interaction of environmental/situation influence and personal influence. Nurse educators should be more aware of the effects of these factors on SDL development during different stages of study. Strategies with independent learning and small group learning are effective to enhance students' learning attributes. Importantly, continuous support and guidance provided by educators is crucial to achieve students' SDL enhancement for lifelong learning during study.

The effect of learning style and general self-efficacy on satisfaction of e-Learning in dental students

INTRODUCTION

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on education. e-Learning has been becoming most popular. Satisfaction of the student is one of important goal of e-Learning, therefore factors affecting this satisfaction should be considered extensively. This study aims to evaluate the effect of learning style and General Self-Efficacy (GSE) on satisfaction of e-Learning in dental student.

METHOD

Electronic questionnaires were sent to 85 fifth and sixth-year students who had passed the face-to-face orthodontics course in the previous semester and were studying online orthodontics at the time of this study. Three questionnaires were used including Soloman and Felder learning styles index, General self-efficacy questionnaire and Satisfaction questionnaire for online education.

RESULTS

The results of the reliability test showed that Cronbach's alpha index for the self-efficacy and satisfaction questionnaire was 0.836 and 0.96, respectively. The correlation between satisfaction and the dimensions of learning style showed that the active dimension of processing information had a significant relationship with the level of satisfaction. In the understanding dimension, a relatively strong correlation was observed in the Global dimension. Moderate significant relationship between the total score of self-efficacy and the level of satisfaction has been found.

CONCLUSION

The results of the present study highlight the necessity of more studies regarding defining effective on student satisfaction during e-Learning. GSES and active learning style in the processing dimension and global learning style in the understanding dimension affect students' satisfaction.

Development and psychometric testing of a Learning Behaviour Questionnaire among Chinese undergraduate nursing students

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to develop and validate a new Learning Behaviour Questionnaire (LBQ) for the undergraduate nursing students.

STUDY DESIGN

This study was performed in two phases. Phase 1 of the study focused on questionnaire development to create a pool of items, while phase 2 focused on validity and reliability testing.

METHODS

Semistructured interviews were used to explore nursing undergraduates' perception of learning behaviour. A two-round modified Delphi method was used to test content validity and quantify the degree of consistency in questionnaire items. An item analysis, an exploratory factor analysis (EFA), a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and an internal consistency reliability check were conducted. Criterion-related validity was demonstrated through correlations with Self-Regulated Learning Scale for Undergraduates (SRLS-U). A sample of 114 nursing students was evaluated in test-retest reliability to confirm stability.

RESULTS

The final LBQ consisted of four factors for the 19-item questionnaire with a 5-point rating from '1' (Fully disagree) to '5' (fully agree). The content validity was 0.890. EFA revealed the presence of four factors, including 'strategy', 'attitude', 'motivation' and 'degree of satisfaction'. The CFA indicated good fit indexes for the proposed model (χ²/df=1.866, root mean square residual=0.037, comparative fit index =0.950, goodness-of-fit index =0.929, Tucker-Lewis index=0.941, adjusted goodness-of-fit index=0.907 and root mean square error of approximation=0.049). The LBQ correlated significantly with SRLS-U subscales (r=0.742-0.837, p<0.01). The Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the whole questionnaire was 0.936, while the Cronbach's alphas of the four factors were 0.828, 0.826, 0.804 and 0.805, respectively. The test-retest reliabilities of the four factors were 0.886, 0.904, 0.852 and 0.875, respectively.

CONCLUSION

The validity and reliability of the LBQ were satisfying. The LBQ is a short, well-developed questionnaire that can serve as a generic assessment tool for measuring learning behaviour for Chinese undergraduate nursing students.Cite Now.

Types of Learners

There is a robust literature on learning styles. This literature rests on 3 assumptions: (1) Individuals have a preference for a particular style of learning, (2) Individuals learn better using their preferred style, and (3) Teachers should adjust their teaching to accommodate their learner's style. One benefit of understanding learning styles is to encourage in-depth learning. This article outlines commonly used learning styles and provides a literature review on the 3 assumptions. The authors conclude that although there is some evidence for learning styles, there is little justification for adjusting teaching methods to match individual styles.

Comparison of mental health, quality of sleep and life among patients with different stages of chronic kidney disease and undergoing different renal replacement therapies

BACKGROUND

The present study aimed to investigate and compare mental health, health-related quality of life, and sleep levels of patients with various stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and undergoing different renal replacement therapies and analyze the factors affecting these parameters.

METHODS

Overall, 140 patients with a mean age of 43 ± 14 years were recruited into this study. Study groups [controls and patients with CKD undergoing predialysis, hemodialysis (HD), peritoneal dialysis, kidney transplantation (KT)] were evaluated using Short Form Health Survey-36 (SF-36), Kidney Disease Quality of Life-36 (KDQoL-36), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12).

RESULTS

The KT group had the highest scores in physical and mental components of the subscales of SF-36 and KDQoL-36 but the lowest scores in PSQI and GHQ-12, indicating the best results in terms of mental health and quality of life, and sleep. Serum albumin and hemoglobin levels were positively correlated with several subscales of quality of life. Significant negative correlations were observed among PSQI, GHQ-12, and subscale scores of SF-36 and KDQoL-36. The HD group showed significantly lower scores in the subscales of symptoms and burden of kidney disease of KDQoL-36.

CONCLUSION

KDQoL was worse in the HD group and better in the KT group than in other groups. Serum albumin and hemoglobin levels, and Kt/V (dialyzer clearance of urea multiplied by dialysis time and normalized for urea distribution volume ) values of patients with CKD exerted a linear and significant effect on the quality of life, which showed a significant positive correlation with the quality of sleep and mental health. In contrast, serum calcium x phosphorus levels showed an inverse correlation with the subscale scores of KDQoL. HIPPOKRATIA 2020, 24(2): 51-58.