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Cardozo MFI, de Jesus GC, de Sousa MH, Iatecola A, Melgaço Maia FL, de Carvalho GMA, Silva VR, Buchaim DV, Moura Cardozo AG, Correia RR, Buchaim RL, da Cunha MR. Mapping the learning styles of medical students in Brazil. BMC MEDICAL EDUCATION 2024; 24:47. [PMID: 38200477 PMCID: PMC10782527 DOI: 10.1186/s12909-024-05028-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 01/03/2024] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Medical education has evolved based on the application of pedagogical actions that place the student as the protagonist of the learning process through the use of active teaching methodologies. Within this context, higher education teachers should use strategies that focus on the student and his/her context and avoid traditional teaching methods. Specifically in medical schools, there is an even greater challenge since the teaching methods of medical curricula differ from those used in previous schooling. Consequently, students acquire their own style of processing information that is often incompatible with the profile of medical schools. This may be one of the factors responsible for the lack of motivation among undergraduates. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to characterize the learning styles of students enrolled in a Brazilian medical school using the Felder-Soloman Index of Learning Styles (ILS). METHODS This was a cross-sectional, descriptive, quantitative study that included students from the 1st to the 6th year of a Brazilian medical school. The students participating in this study voluntarily answered 44 questions about learning styles of the Felder-Silverman instrument validated in Brazil. The instrument was divided so that each domain consisted of 11 questions with two response options in which only one could be selected. For each domain, a score (1 point) was assigned to the selected option (a, b) of the question and the learning style category was determined as the difference between these values. For data collection and tabulation, we used the Learning Syle Platform (EdA Platform) developed based on Felder's studies since this system processes information about the dimension analyzed, the preferred style, and the most striking characteristics of each style. RESULTS The results showed that sensing was the preferred learning style of the students, followed by the sequential and visual styles. It was not possible to determine whether gender or age influences the choice of learning methods because of the homogeneity of the results. CONCLUSIONS The present data will enable teachers of the institution involved in this study to plan pedagogical actions that improve the students' self-awareness, as well as their teaching-learning skills, by choosing the most adequate active methodologies for the medical education programs considering the individuality of each student and class.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Gilmar Cardozo de Jesus
- Postgraduate Program in Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine of Jundiaí, 13202-550, Jundiaí, Brazil
| | - Maria Helena de Sousa
- Postgraduate Program in Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine of Jundiaí, 13202-550, Jundiaí, Brazil
| | - Amilton Iatecola
- Postgraduate Program in Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine of Jundiaí, 13202-550, Jundiaí, Brazil
| | | | | | - Vinícius Rodrigues Silva
- Department of Human Anatomy, University of San Francisco (USF), 12916- 900, Bragança Paulista, Brazil
| | - Daniela Vieira Buchaim
- Postgraduate Program in Structural and Functional Interactions in Rehabilitation, University of Marilia (UNIMAR), 17525-902, Marilia, Brazil
- Medical School, University Center of Adamantina (UNIFAI), 17800-000, Adamantina, Brazil
- Graduate Program in Anatomy of Domestic and Wild Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science (FMVZ), University of Sao Paulo (USP), 05508-270, Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Ronny Rodrigues Correia
- Botucatu Medical School (FMB), São Paulo State University (UNESP-Univ Estadual Paulista), 18618-687, Botucatu, Brazil
| | - Rogerio Leone Buchaim
- Graduate Program in Anatomy of Domestic and Wild Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science (FMVZ), University of Sao Paulo (USP), 05508-270, Sao Paulo, Brazil
- Department of Biological Sciences, Bauru School of Dentistry, University of Sao Paulo (FOB/USP), 17012-901, Bauru, Brazil
| | - Marcelo Rodrigues da Cunha
- Postgraduate Program in Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine of Jundiaí, 13202-550, Jundiaí, Brazil.
- Orthopedics and Traumatology Sector, Faculty of Medicine of Jundiaí, 13202-550, Jundiaí, Brazil.
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