Learning Preferences of Undergraduate Dental Students: A Longitudinal Assessment Over Four Years

Objective: To compare the learning preferences of 78 undergraduate dental studentsfrom the first to thefourth year of dental education.Methods: The study assessed the learning sensory modality preferences of the first-year students byadministering Fleming’s VARK questionnaire and reassessed the same students in fourth-year, using thesame questionnaire and methodology.Results: A significant increase in the mean visual scores was observed from 2.91±1.81 in the first year to3.63±2.06 in the fourth yearof dental education (p-value 0.036). Also, the mean aural scores significantlyincreased from 4.87±2.22 in the first year to 5.86±2.18 in the fourth year (p-value 0.005). Although the meanread/write scores and the mean kinestheticscoresalso increased over four years, yet these were notstatistically significant. Additionally, amultimodal learning style was observed in 53.84% students of first-year and 51.28%students offourth-year.Conclusions: A significant increase in the mean visual scores and the mean aural scores of students fromthe first to fourth year of dental education demonstrates that learning preferences are dynamic in nature. Fordelivering student-centered education, educators need to be cognizant of this potential shift so that teachingstrategies and resourcesmay bemodified for improved learning and student satisfaction.