Ahmed A, Wojcik EM, Ananthanarayanan V, Mulder L, Mirza KM. Learning Styles in Pathology: A Comparative Analysis and Implications for Learner-Centered Education.
Acad Pathol 2019;
6:2374289519852315. [PMID:
31218251 PMCID:
PMC6560795 DOI:
10.1177/2374289519852315]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2019] [Revised: 04/22/2019] [Accepted: 04/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Initiatives like “American Medical Association (AMA)-Reimagining Residency” and
“Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-Next Accreditation System”
are examples of a paradigm shift toward learner-centered pedagogy in resident education.
Such interventions require an understanding of the basics of the learning process itself.
This study aimed to identify preferred learning styles in pathology with the intent to use
specialty-specific pattern data, if any, to improve pathology training modalities. Kolb’s
learning tool questionnaire was sent to pathology-inclined medical students, pathology
residents, fellows, and faculty in 5 academic programs. Data from 84 respondents (6
students, 37 residents, 12 fellows, 29 attendings) were analyzed. There was remarkable
similarity in learning styles of fellows and faculty, revealing a dominance of
observational learning styles (“assimilating” and “diverging”) that was consistent with
pathology being a visual field. In contrast, residents showed dominance of “learn by
doing” styles (“converging” and “accommodating”). Residents’ stratification by training
year showed a scattered distribution with an upward trend toward “learn by doing”
behavior. While the difference in styles between residents and faculty/fellows may be due
to a generational gap, transition from medical school, or acquisition of technical skills
required for grossing specimens, this is an opportunity for adopting blended learning
models and active learning processes to cater to residents’ different styles and to allow
for flexibility to use all styles as and when needed. Based on these findings, we
hypothesize that partnering juniors and seniors with similar styles has a potential for
successful mentorship and exploration of other psychometrics is recommended for further
understanding and improvement of pathology training.
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