Preferred learning styles among prospective research methodology course students at Taibah University, Saudi Arabia

Background Knowledge of students' preferred learning styles is important while developing teaching strategies that influence student commitment during the course. The VARK questionnaire is one of the commonly used learning style inventories. Objectives The aim of this study was to determine and assess the sex-based differences in learning style preferences among second-year medical students at Taibah University who were prospective students for the research methodology course. Methods All second-year medical students at Taibah University (n = 129) were invited to participate in the study and were administered the Arabic version of the VARK questionnaire. A total of 89 students, 45 female and 44 male, completed the questionnaire with a response rate of 67%. The students were classified according to the VARK questionnaire as visual, read/write, auditory, kinesthetic, and multimodal learners. Results Nearly two-thirds (66.3%) of the students preferred multimodality for information presentation. Male and female students showed significantly different learning style preferences (P = 0.02). Female students tended to prefer the multimodal learning style more compared with male students (77.8% vs. 54.5%, respectively). Furthermore, 33.7% of students preferred the single mode of information presentation (45.5% male and 22.2% female students); the auditory mode was the predominant selection among the unimodal male and female learners (41% of male vs. 11.1% of female students). Conclusion and recommendations The majority of the second-year medical students preferred multimodality in terms of learning preferences, with a significant difference between male and female students; female students tended to favor the multiple modes of information presentation more compared with male students. The study recommends modification of the teaching strategies of the current research methodology course toward the use of a variety of active learning techniques that would fit the different learning styles exhibited by the studied students, rather than classic lectures.