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.