Why educators endorse a neuromyth: relationships among educational priorities, beliefs about learning styles, and instructional decisions.

Despite evidence to the contrary, many people believe in learning styles (LS)-the idea that students learn best in their preferred modality, such as visual, auditory, or kinesthetic. However, the impact of this belief on instructional decisions remains unclear. Therefore, this study investigated how belief in the neuromyth impacts instructional choices and why educators choose an LS lesson plan or an alternative. We found that educators' beliefs about LS indeed predicted their instructional choice, but that other factors influenced their decisions as well. Three themes encapsulate educators' justifications for their lesson plan choices: beliefs about LS, practical considerations, and student learning and motivation. These findings suggest that for many educators, implementing an LS lesson provides an opportunity to integrate diverse teaching strategies that address multiple educational priorities. Although many prior studies have replicated the prevalence of the myth, this is one of the first to explore the reasons that LS is attractive to educators. Attempts to dispel the LS neuromyth could leverage the reasons educators find LS appealing to provide alternative research-backed approaches to meet their goals. Future research should examine the extent to which beliefs in the LS neuromyth are translated into instructional practices within classroom lessons and explore potential differences across grade levels.

Nursing students' engagement in online learning.

Reliance on digital technology may have implications for our social and economic wellbeing, including factors such as health, environmental quality, social interaction, and educational levels. Although there may be concerns, it is important to acknowledge that digital technology also offers immediate, cost-effective and accessible solutions that are transforming various services. The COVID-19 pandemic, through the disruption of educational systems worldwide, has accelerated the transformation of higher education, leading to changes in the way it is perceived. However, there is a lack of understanding regarding the relationship between digital poverty, digital literacy, and students' online experiences. This article aims to explore the engagement of nursing students in online learning post COVID.

Evaluation of veterinary students' suture performance according to three different instructional modalities.

Background: Higher education attempts to ameliorate the learning experience through match between learning subjects and students' learning styles. Aim: This study evaluates the efficacy of three different instructional modalities aimed at teaching veterinary students how to make simple suture knots. Methods: A cohort of 43 fourth-year students were split into 3 groups and provided with different instructional modalities: presentation with pictures and descriptions, hard copy text, and muted video. The student's surgical simulation performance was evaluated. Then, they answered a 23 question-survey, Fleming VARK questionnaire based, investigating their learning profile. Kruskal Wallis test evaluated different instructional modalities effect on student's performance. The chi-square test assessed differences between instructional modalities and learning profiles, profile self evaluation, and training session comprehension. Results: Students showed auditory unimodal VARK profile (16/43), did not know their learning profile (26/43), and favored personalized teaching strategies (43/43). No differences were found for: surgical performance, except for forceps handling; and between instructional modalities: either for learning profiles (p-value = 0.43), or profile self evaluation (p-value = 0.42). Differences were found between instructional modalities and training session comprehension. As limitations, auditory instructional modalities, participants' age, and gender were not recorded or evaluated. Conclusion: Our study provides feedback on modern teaching modalities in which students play a key role. Participants showed a variety of learning profiles although displaying no significant performance differences.

Teaching diagnostic radiology to radiology majors: Implementation and evaluation of a flipped classroom model.

PURPOSE: Radiology instruction focuses on cultivating medical students' diagnostic thinking skills and practical competence, and lecture-based learning (LBL) is the most commonly used teaching approach. While fact-based, this type of traditional instruction is often non-engaging, leading to a shift toward student-centered models, one of which is the flipped classroom (FC). However, studies involving a comprehensive evaluation of students' experiences using the FC approach and its effects on their learning are lacking. Therefore, this study analyzed the teaching efficacy of the FC approach based on data of large groups of radiology students, accumulated over time. METHODS: Data from 636 medical radiology students taught using the FC and LBL models from 2012 to 2021 were retrospectively collected and analyzed. RESULTS: The test scores of the FC group were significantly higher than those of the LBL group, and improvements in learning initiative and learning ability were notably higher in the FC than in the LBL group. The two groups showed no significant difference in the critical thinking disposition indicator, and the proportion of students with positive critical thinking tendencies was higher in the FC than in the LBL group. The academic and social self-perception scores of the FC group were significantly higher than those of the LBL group, and there was a significant difference in Kolb's learning style. CONCLUSIONS: Based on evidence of completing pre-, in-, and after-class work, the FC approach improved students' academic performance, learning initiative, diagnostic ability, and satisfaction with learning and the teaching institution. Our findings suggest that FC instruction promotes students' assimilation and convergence of learning styles, and cultivates positive critical thinking.

Deciphering the Nexus: Exploring Learning Styles and Academic Success Among Medical Students Through a Comprehensive Study.

In the dynamic landscape of medical education, recognizing and catering to the diverse learning styles of students are pivotal for fostering academic success. This study investigates the intricate relationship between learning styles and academic performance among medical students. A sample comprising 201 second-year Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) students from two batches participated in this cross-sectional study. Utilizing the Grasha-Riechmann Student Learning Style Scales, students were categorized into six distinct learning styles: independent, avoidant, collaborative, dependent, competitive, and participatory. Academic performance was assessed through cumulative scores at the end of the academic year. Statistical analyses, including descriptive statistics, Spearman's correlation analysis, and the Kruskal-Wallis H test, were conducted using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 25, (Released 2017; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, United States). The findings revealed a rich diversity of learning styles among medical students, with independent learning emerging as the most prevalent style. However, intriguingly, no statistically significant difference in academic performance was discerned across the various learning styles. Nonetheless, correlation analysis uncovered weak positive correlations between independent, dependent, and participatory learning styles with academic performance, while an equally weak negative correlation was observed for the avoidant style. These results underscore the necessity for tailored educational strategies that can accommodate the heterogeneous learning preferences exhibited by medical students. While certain learning styles may be favoured by students, their adoption does not guarantee academic success. Thus, educators are urged to embrace flexible teaching methodologies to accommodate the diverse learning styles present within medical education, ultimately fostering student engagement and achievement. This study illuminates the imperative of understanding and addressing diverse learning styles among medical students, laying the foundation for further research into optimizing teaching methodologies in medical education.

Learning styles, academic performance and mental health among medical students in King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of various learning styles and their correlation with academic performance and mental health of medical students. METHODS: The cross-sectional study was conducted at the King Faisal University, Houfof, Saudi Arabia, from January to June 2019, and comprised medical students regardless of gender or the academic year. Data was collected using the Visual Aural Read/write Kinesthetic questionnaire. Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 was used to assess mental health. Data was analysed using SPSS 22. RESULTS: Of the 315 students, 179(57%) were males and 136(43%) were females. Overall, 152(48.3%) subjects preferred multimodal, while 163(51.7%) preferred unimodal style; 93(29%) aural, 53(16.8%) visual, 11(3.5%) read/write and 6(1.9%) kinesthetic. Males preferred visual and quardimodal styles of learning, while females preferred aural learning (p<0.05). Academic achievement was associated with learning style (p<0.05), but no relationship was observed between depression scores and learning styles (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The most preferred learning styles among medical students were found to be aural and bimodal.

Emergency Department Discharge Teaching Interventions: A Scoping Review.

INTRODUCTION: Emergency department discharge education is intended to provide patients with information to self-manage their condition or injury, identify potential complications, and follow-up or referral. However, most patients cannot recall the discharge information provided, leading to adverse clinical outcomes, return visits, and higher costs. A scoping review was undertaken to explore discharge education interventions that have been studied in the emergency department setting and outcomes that have been used to evaluate the effectiveness of the interventions. METHODS: A literature review was conducted using the databases PubMed/Medline, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and Education Resources Information Center, with search terms focused on emergency nursing and patient discharge education interventions. RESULTS: Of the publications identified, 18 studies met the inclusion criteria. There was variation among studies on the conditions/injuries and populations of focus for the intervention. The interventions were categorized by learning styles, including auditory (n=10), kinesthetic (n=1), visual (n=15), reading/writing (n=1), and multimodal (n=7). Outcomes evaluated included those that were patient-specific (education, self-management, clinical, and adherence) and metrics of the health system and public health. DISCUSSION: Multimodal discharge education that addresses various learning styles and levels of health literacy improved patient education, self-management, and clinical outcomes. Additional support and reminders improved patient adherence. Identified gaps included limited kinesthetic interventions and culturally tailored education. Translational science for advancing sustainable interventions in clinical practice is needed to enhance the emergency department discharge process and patient, system, and public health outcomes.

Moderators of short- and long-term outcomes in panic control treatment and panic-focused psychodynamic psychotherapy.

OBJECTIVE: The objective was to test the hypothesis that externalizing and internalizing helpfulness beliefs and learning styles at baseline moderate panic severity and overall mental illness as short-term and long-term outcomes of two panic-focused psychotherapies, Panic Control Treatment (PCT) and Panic-Focused Psychodynamic Psychotherapy (PFPP). METHOD: Participants were 108 adults with DSM-IV Panic Disorder with or without Agoraphobia (PD/A) who were randomized to treatment in a trial of PCT and PFPP. Piece-wise/segmented multilevel modeling was used to test three-way interactions (Treatments × Moderator × Time), with participants and therapists as random factors. Outcome variables were clinician-rated panic severity and self-rated mental illness post-treatment and during follow-up. RESULTS: Patients' externalizing (but not internalizing) helpfulness beliefs moderated mental illness outcomes during follow-up (but not during treatment); low levels of Externalization were facilitative for PFPP but not PCT. Internalizing and externalizing helpfulness beliefs and learning style did not moderate clinician-rated panic severity, whether short- or long-term. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that helpfulness beliefs and learning style have limited use in assignment to either PCT or PFPP for PD/A. Although further research is needed, low levels of helpfulness beliefs about externalizing coping may play a role in mental illness outcomes for PFPP.

Utilizing decision tree machine model to map dental students' preferred learning styles with suitable instructional strategies.

BACKGROUND: Growing demand for student-centered learning (SCL) has been observed in higher education settings including dentistry. However, application of SCL in dental education is limited. Hence, this study aimed to facilitate SCL application in dentistry utilising a decision tree machine learning (ML) technique to map dental students' preferred learning styles (LS) with suitable instructional strategies (IS) as a promising approach to develop an IS recommender tool for dental students. METHODS: A total of 255 dental students in Universiti Malaya completed the modified Index of Learning Styles (m-ILS) questionnaire containing 44 items which classified them into their respective LS. The collected data, referred to as dataset, was used in a decision tree supervised learning to automate the mapping of students' learning styles with the most suitable IS. The accuracy of the ML-empowered IS recommender tool was then evaluated. RESULTS: The application of a decision tree model in the automation process of the mapping between LS (input) and IS (target output) was able to instantly generate the list of suitable instructional strategies for each dental student. The IS recommender tool demonstrated perfect precision and recall for overall model accuracy, suggesting a good sensitivity and specificity in mapping LS with IS. CONCLUSION: The decision tree ML empowered IS recommender tool was proven to be accurate at matching dental students' learning styles with the relevant instructional strategies. This tool provides a workable path to planning student-centered lessons or modules that potentially will enhance the learning experience of the students.

Mapping the learning styles of medical students in Brazil.

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.

Learning in the Metaverse: Are University Students Willing to Learn in Immersive Virtual Reality?

Immersive virtual reality (IVR) technology provides several educational affordances that make it a valuable tool for learning, especially from a constructivist learning perspective. Combined with the increasing availability of Metaverse social platforms, such as ENGAGE and AltSpace VR, where students and teachers can meet and work together, IVR may transform how students learn and interact with educational content. However, little is known about students' attitudes toward IVR in education. To address this gap, we surveyed 329 undergraduate students from different universities in Italy. We used the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) to predict students' intention to adopt IVR for learning. We further explored the role that different individual factors, including students' learning styles, affordances perceptions, and personal innovativeness, have on their attitudes toward IVR. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that the four constructs of the UTAUT, namely performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions were the strongest predictors of students' intention to use IVR in education and that individual factors only had little impact on it. Based on these results, this study provides helpful indications for researchers and educators who wish to introduce IVR effectively in educational contexts. Given the new possibilities provided by Metaverse applications based on IVR technology for learning, it is indeed crucial to fully understand the attitudes different stakeholders in education have toward adopting this technology in educational contexts.

How people learn: insights for medical faculty.

To increase medical students' and residents' understanding and retention, faculty need to teach from a knowledge standpoint and understanding of how individuals learn. We know from cognitive information processing that learners remember only a small portion of what they read or hear but remember up to 90% of information when strong active learning modalities are included. Faculty also need to be aware of different learning styles-kinesthetic, visual, and auditory-and ensure that they are including methods that can reach all learners. The cognitive and information processing theories of learning provide insights to educators related to building on prior knowledge from learning and limiting the number of points taught so learners can process and retain the information. Strategies such as a flipped classroom model and question clicker technology can assist in reaching learning goals. Fundamental conditions for learning include awareness, interest, motivation, relevance, engagement, reinforcement, and support.

Leveraging different learning styles for improved knowledge distillation in biomedical imaging.

Learning style refers to a type of training mechanism adopted by an individual to gain new knowledge. As suggested by the VARK model, humans have different learning preferences, like Visual (V), Auditory (A), Read/Write (R), and Kinesthetic (K), for acquiring and effectively processing information. Our work endeavors to leverage this concept of knowledge diversification to improve the performance of model compression techniques like Knowledge Distillation (KD) and Mutual Learning (ML). Consequently, we use a single-teacher and two-student network in a unified framework that not only allows for the transfer of knowledge from teacher to students (KD) but also encourages collaborative learning between students (ML). Unlike the conventional approach, where the teacher shares the same knowledge in the form of predictions or feature representations with the student network, our proposed approach employs a more diversified strategy by training one student with predictions and the other with feature maps from the teacher. We further extend this knowledge diversification by facilitating the exchange of predictions and feature maps between the two student networks, enriching their learning experiences. We have conducted comprehensive experiments with three benchmark datasets for both classification and segmentation tasks using two different network architecture combinations. These experimental results demonstrate that knowledge diversification in a combined KD and ML framework outperforms conventional KD or ML techniques (with similar network configuration) that only use predictions with an average improvement of 2%. Furthermore, consistent improvement in performance across different tasks, with various network architectures, and over state-of-the-art techniques establishes the robustness and generalizability of the proposed model.

ESTILOS DE APRENDIZAJE EN ESTUDIANTES DE LA LICENCIATURA EN ENFEMERIA DE TRES INSTITUCIONES DE EDUCACIÓN SUPERIOR EN MÉXICO / LEARNING STYLES IN NURSING DEGREE STUDENTS FROM THREE HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS IN MEXICO

INTRODUCCIÓN. La sociedad actual demanda de enfermeros que desarrollen la autonomía necesaria para la resolución de problemas, la planificación, el seguimiento y la evaluación de su propio desempeño. Esta autonomía proviene del aprendizaje permanente. OBJETIVO. Determinar los Estilos de Aprendizaje predominantes entre los estudiantes de primer año matriculados en tres instituciones de educación superior en México para cursar la carrera de enfermería. METODOLOGÍA: Estudio cuantitativo y multicéntrico con un diseño descriptivo, y una muestra no probabilística. Para identificar los Estilos de aprendizaje de los estudiantes se utilizó el cuestionario VARK, con coeficiente alfa de Cronbach osciló entre 0.77 y 0.85. La escala fue digitalizada y programada mediante la herramienta Formulario de Google Drive. Se obtuvo un dictamen favorable por el comité de ética de las instituciones. Los resultados se procesaron en el programa estadístico SPSS versión 25.0. RESULTADOS: Se aplicaron 305 cuestionarios, donde 88,63 % fueron mujeres. El estilo de aprendizaje más preponderante fue el Quinestésico (30.39 %), seguido por el Lectura/Escritura (27.42 %), auditivo (26,58 %) y visual (15.61 %). De acuerdo con el estilo modal más del 50 % son multimodales. CONCLUSIÓN: Los resultados muestran que es fundamental contar con datos tanto individuales como grupales de los estudiantes para pensar estrategias de enseñanza y aprendizaje que tengan en cuenta las preferencias de aprendizaje de los estudiantes y la orientación temática del orden disciplinario, desde su ingreso a la universidad.

INTRODUCTION. Today's society demands that nurses develop the necessary autonomy to solve problems, plan, monitor and evaluate their own performance. This autonomy comes from lifelong learning. AIM. To determine the predominant learning styles among first-year nursing students enrolled in three higher education institutions in Mexico. METHODOLOGY: Quantitative and multicenter study with a descriptive designand a non-probabilistic sample. To identify the learning styles of the students, the VARK questionnaire was used, with Cronbach's alpha coefficient ranging between 0.77 and 0.85. The scale was digitized and programmed using the Google Drive Form tool. A favorable opinion was obtained by the ethics committee of each institution. The results were processed in the statistical program SPSS, version 25.0. RESULTS: 305 questionnaires were completed by respondents, 88.63% of which were women. The most predominant learning style was kinesthetic (30.39%), followed by reading/writing (27.42%), auditory (26.58%) and visual (15.61%). As to the modal style, more than 50% were multimodal. CONCLUSION: The results show that it is essential to have both individual and group data related to students so that teaching and learning strategies can take into account their learning preferences, as well as the thematic orientation of the discipline of nursing, from the time of their admission to the university.

Cuestionario Honey-Alonso de estilos de aprendizaje (CHAEA). Propiedades psicométricas en estudiantes universitarios colombianos

Introducción: El objetivo de este artículo resultado de investigación es presentar los resultados del proceso de análisis psicométrico del Cuestionario Honey-Alonso de Estilos de Aprendizaje (CHAEA) en universitarios en Colombia. Método: La metodología está inserta en los estudios instrumentales, busca identificar las propiedades psicométricas de un instrumento. La muestra fue de 2230 estudiantes en el Análisis Factorial Exploratorio y de 661 para el Análisis Confirmatorio, ambas muestras no aleatorias. Se utilizaron los Modelos de Ecuaciones Estructurales (SEM) para la etapa confirmatoria. Resultado: El resultado fue un instrumento de 25 ítems, 4 factores, compuestos de reactivos organizados diferente al constructo original, más cercano al modelo de Kolb, propiedades psicométricas aceptables de acuerdo con los planteamientos teóricos utilizados, dirigida a valorar los estilos de aprendizaje confirmados y etiquetados -Investigador, Práctico, Experimentador y Activo- en el ámbito educativo. Conclusión: El proceso de validación realizado permite que el uso del instrumento sea considerado como válido y confiable para Estudiantes Universitarios del contexto educativo colombiano. De todas maneras, hay que tener en cuenta las condiciones de aplicación y siempre es importante realizar nuevos estudios en diferentes niveles educativos que puedan dar cuenta de información psicométrica más sólida.

Introduction: The objective of this research result article is to present the results of the psychometric analysis process of the Honey-Alonso Learning Styles Questionnaire (CHAEA) in university students in Colombia. Method: The methodology is inserted in instrumental studies; it seeks to identify the psychometric properties of an instrument. The sample consisted of 2.230 students in the Exploratory Factor Analysis and 661 for the Confirmatory Analysis, both non-random samples. Structural Equation Models (SEM) were used for the confirmatory stage. Result: The result was an instrument of 25 items, 4 factors, composed of reagents organized differently from the original construct, closer to the Kolb model, acceptable psychometric properties according to the theoretical approaches used, aimed at assessing confirmed and labeled learning styles -Investigator, Practitioner, Experimenter and Active- in the educational field. Conclusion: The validation process carried out allows the use of the instrument to be considered valid and reliable for University Students in the Colombian educational context. In any case, the application conditions must be taken into account, and it is always important to carry out new studies at different educational levels that can account for more solid psychometric information.

The influence of learning styles on academic procrastination among students in mathematics.

Introduction: Procrastination is a complex psychological and behavioral construct that is strongly influenced by certain personality traits. In mathematics learning, students find it difficult to master the concepts because of less exposure to learning styles. Poor knowledge of mathematical concepts leads to academic procrastination in the subject of Mathematics among students. Therefore, this study aims to identify students' learning styles in Mathematics, identify the stages of students' academic procrastination in Mathematics, and determine whether there is a significant influence of learning styles (visual, auditory, and kinesthetic) on academic procrastination among secondary school students in Mathematics. Methods: A quantitative approach with a survey was applied. A total of 500 Form Two and Form Four students in five national secondary schools in the Kota Bharu district, Kelantan, were selected using simple random sampling. The duration of data gathering started from 4 October 2022 until 31 January 2023. The Learning Styles Questionnaire and the Academic Procrastination Questionnaire were adapted and verified by eight experts in psychology and counseling. Descriptive and multiple regression tests were carried out using IBM SPSS version 26.0. Results: The results revealed that the visual learning style was the most dominant learning style among students in the subject of Mathematics, followed by auditory and kinesthetic. The level of students' academic procrastination in Mathematics was low. Besides, multiple regression showed that visual and kinesthetic learning styles were significant contributors or predictors, which amounted to 14.1% of the variation in students' academic procrastination in Mathematics. Discussion: The implications of this study highlight the possibility to improve programs in schools by exposing students to suitable learning styles so that they can practice effective learning styles in Mathematics and consequently overcome academic procrastination. Further research can be carried out by identifying other factors that encourage academic procrastination in the subject of Mathematics in order to increase students' motivation and self-efficacy.

A Comparison of Generation Z and Millennial Dental Hygiene Students' Preferred Learning Styles.

Purpose Learning styles have been studied in dental and generational research, but research has been limited with Millennial and Generation Z dental hygiene students. The purpose of this quantitative comparative study was to determine if and to what extent there was a difference between Generation Z and Millennial dental hygiene students' preferred learning styles.Methods First- and second-year dental hygiene students attending three programs located in Southern California were invited to participate in the study. Additional participants were recruited through dental hygiene social media sites. The 44 item Felder-Soloman Index of Learning Styles (ILS) was administered via an online survey platform. Millennial and Generation Z participants were compared on the four dimensions of the ILS: active/reflective, sensing/intuitive, visual/verbal, and sequential/global. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the independent samples t-test.Results A total of 150 dental hygiene students agreed to participate; Millennials (n=61), Generation Z (n=89). There was no significant difference between Millennial and Generation Z students in the active/reflective, sensing/intuitive, or sequential/global dimensions (p>0.05); both cohorts preferred the active, sensing, and sequential learning styles. There was a statistically significant difference in the visual/verbal dimension with Millennials indicating a significantly greater preference for the visual learning style than Generation Z (p=0.04).Conclusion There may be differences between the learning styles of Millennial and Generation Z dental hygiene students. The finding that Generation Z students differ significantly from Millennials on the visual-verbal dimension may indicate a shift toward the verbal dimension learning style that needs further study.

What Happens to the Principles of Evidence-Based Practice When Clinicians Become Educators? A Case Study of the Learning Styles Neuromyth.

Introduction: The approach of matching teaching practice to individual student "Learning Styles" has been repeatedly shown to be ineffective, even harmful. Yet, it appears a majority of educators believe it to be an effective approach. The status of Learning Styles theory in health professions education is unclear. Method: We surveyed health professions educators to determine whether they believed that Learning Styles theory is effective and whether this belief translates to action. We also test knowledge of Learning Styles theory. Results: 87.4% of participants are familiar with Learning Styles, but knowledge about specific models varies. 69.9% of participants believed that Learning Styles theory is effective, but only one-third of them were actually using it. Discussion: More effort is required to emphasise the importance of evidence-based educational awareness and practice in the healthcare community. As is the case with clinical practice, a culture of promoting pedagogy validated by the scientific method should be the norm. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40670-023-01849-1.

A comparison of Generation Z and Millennial dental hygiene students' preferred learning styles.

OBJECTIVES: Learning styles have been studied in dental and generational research, but research has been limited with Millennial and Generation Z dental hygiene students. The purpose of this quantitative comparative study was to determine if and to what extent there was a difference between Generation Z and Millennial dental hygiene students' preferred learning styles. METHODS: First- and second-year dental hygiene students attending three programs located in Southern California were invited to participate in the study. Additional participants were recruited through dental hygiene social media sites. The 44 item Felder-Soloman Index of Learning Styles (ILS) was administered via an online survey platform. Millennial and Generation Z participants were compared on the four dimensions of the ILS: active/reflective, sensing/intuitive, visual/verbal, and sequential/global. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics and the independent samples t-test. RESULTS: A total of 150 dental hygiene students agreed to participate; Millennials (n = 61), Generation Z (n = 89). There was no significant difference between Millennial and Generation Z students in the active/reflective, sensing/intuitive, or sequential/global dimensions (p > 0.05); both cohorts preferred the active, sensing, and sequential learning styles. There was a statistically significant difference in the visual/verbal dimension with Millennials indicating a significantly greater preference for the visual learning style than Generation Z (p = 0.04). CONCLUSION: There may be differences between the learning styles of Millennial and Generation Z dental hygiene students. The finding that Generation Z students differ significantly from Millennials on the visual-verbal dimension may indicate a shift toward the verbal dimension learning style that needs further study.

Caracterización de estilos de aprendizaje, satisfacción y acceso a residencia médica en participantes de un programa de educación médica continuada bimodal/virtual en Medellín, Colombia, 2017 / Characterization of Learning Styles, Satisfaction, and Access to Medical Residency in Participants of a Bimodal/Virtual Continuing Medical Education Program in Medellín, Colombia, 2017

Introducción: los estilos de aprendizaje son rasgos del estudiante que pueden ayudar a la planificación curricular en educación médica. No se conoce con certeza si algún estilo de aprendizaje específico se relaciona con la satisfacción en educación médica continuada o si aumenta las probabilidades de acceder a una residencia médica. Objetivo: este trabajo buscó categorizar los estilos de aprendizaje en una cohorte de médicos, describir su satisfacción según cada estilo de aprendizaje y el acceso a una residencia médica. Materiales y métodos: estudio de corte transversal en médicos cursando un diplomado de actualización médica. Se categorizaron estilos de aprendizaje y sus combinaciones (activo, reflexivo, teórico y pragmático). Se calculó la diferencia de medias de satisfacción del curso. Posteriormente, se evaluó la asociación entre el estilo de aprendizaje y el acceso a un cupo de residencia médica. Resultados: trescientos once médicos (n=311) aceptaron participar. El 75 % tenían entre uno y dos estilos dominantes, siendo el más frecuente el reflexivo/teórico (n=108; 34,7%). No se encontró una mayor satisfacción global asociada a un estilo en particular. Conclusión: el estilo de aprendizaje dominante es el reflexivo/teórico. La satisfacción global es mayor en la modalidad bimodal. No se encontró asociación con ningún estilo de aprendizaje y el acceso a residencia médica.

Introduction: learning styles are student traits that can aid in curriculum planning in medical education. It is not known for certain if any specific learning style is related to satisfaction in continuing medical education or if it increases the chances of accessing a medical residency. Objective: the learning styles are student traits that can aid in curriculum planning in medical education. This study aimed to categorize learning styles within a cohort of physicians, describe their satisfaction according to each learning style, and assess access to a medical residency program. Methods: a cross-sectional study was conducted with physicians attending a diploma in clinical and surgical areas. Learning styles were categorized according to the CAMEA40 questionnaire. The median differences of course satisfaction was calculated. Subsequently, the association between each learning styles and access to a medical residency post was evaluated. Results: three hundred eleven (n = 311) agreed to participate. A total of 75 % had between one and two dominant learning style, the most frequent being the reflective/theoretical (n = 108; 34,7 %). No greater overall satisfaction associated with a particular learning style was found. Conclusion: one-third of the doctors had a reflective/theoretical profile. The overall satisfaction and access to a medical residency were no associated with any learning style.