Learning Style Preferences of Undergraduate Pharmacy Students in a Malaysian Public University

Abstract

Objectives: To compare the learning style preferences among pharmacy students at different stages of academic course and to determine the demographic variables that significantly influence the learning style preferences of these students.Methods: A 24-item self-report survey instrument, including the validated Pharmacists’ Inventory of Learning Styles (PILS), was administered to all year 1 to year 4 pharmacy students at Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. Data (e.g. demographic variables, learning style preferences) collected were entered and analysed using SPSS version 21.Results: A total of 469 students completed the questionnaire; the majority were female (385/469, 82.1%) and year 4 pharmacy students (156/469, 33.3%). The dominant learning style preferred by the pharmacy students was assimilator (n=189/469, 40.3%), followed by converger (n = 115/469, 24.5%). The learning style preference was similar across the 4-year pharmacy students with assimilator as the most preferred, followed by converger. There was no significant association between dominant learning style preferences and all the demographic variables (p >0.05). A similar trend was observed in secondary learning style (p>0.05).Conclusion: The majority of the pharmacy students belong to the category of assimilator type of learners. A variety of teaching methods should be implemented in pharmacy education to complement all learning styles and to provide a fair environment for all types of learners.

Keywords: Assimilator; Converger; Learning styles; Pharmacy; PILS