An assessment of learning styles among undergraduate athletic training students

Objective: Increased attention has been directed toward assessing and improving academic quality in athletic training education. The educational process has been assessed from a global level, but little is known about how athletic training students learn. The purpose of this investigation was to assess the learning styles of undergraduate athletic training students. Design and Setting: Undergraduate students enrolled in a Committee on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP)-accredited athletic training education program completed a learning styles inventory during a regularly scheduled athletic training class at the start of the spring semester. Subjects: Twenty-seven student athletic trainers (age range, 19-30 yrs, mean age = 20.5 yrs) served as subjects. Sixteen subjects (7 male, 9 female) were in the first year of this 3-year program. Eleven subjects (7 male, 4 female) were second-year students. Measurements: Learning style was assessed using the Productivity Environmental Preference Survey. Results: Parametric and nonparametric one-way analyses of Variance for each learning subscale by sex and by year in program revealed significant differences (P <.05) in light preferences for male and female students. There were also significant differences (P <.05) between first- and second-year students in preferences for afternoon learning activities. Conclusions: These findings suggest that undergraduate athletic training students function best as learners in a well-lit learning environment. The significance of afternoon as the preferred time for learning reinforces the importance of the clinical setting in the introduction and mastery of skills. Athletic training educators and clinical instructors can use these results as they examine their teaching strategies and educational environments.