The Relationship Among Students’ Learning Styles, Health Sciences Colleges, and Grade Point Average (GPA)

Abstract

Introduction: Learning styles are an increasingly important area in education, affecting different aspects of the learning arena. They can predict how students might process information and solve learning problems differently even when engaged in the same learning activities. Purpose: This study aimed to investigated the relationship among health sciences students’ learning styles, college majors, and grade point averages (GPAs). A total of 247 male students belonging to King Saud bin Abdulaziz University at Riyadh were chosen intentionally for this study, which employed a quantitative procedure for collecting and analysing data. Methods: The study used a survey research design, and data were obtained from the Perceptual Learning Style Preference Questionnaire (PLSPQ), which the students had to answer online. The collected data were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS 16). Descriptive analysis methods – such as means, standard deviations, frequency counts, and correlations – were employed. Results: The results indicated that the students demonstrated a range of learning style preferences. The most frequently preferred style was the auditory learning style, followed by the kinaesthetic and individual learning styles. The least preferred style was group learning. The results also showed significant differences in the students’ learning styles across colleges – with preferences towards the auditory, individual, and group learning styles – and insignificant differences for the visual preference, kinaesthetic, and tactile preference learning styles. Finally, the relationship between learning style and GPA was only positive with the individual learning style and negative with the group learning style. Conclusion: These findings support the notion that the total learning environment affects students’ learning styles and suggest several courses of action for students, teachers, and policymakers.