The potential of the inventory of learning styles to study students' learning patterns in three types of medical curricula

Abstract

Background: Introducing innovative curricular designs can be evaluating by scrutinizing the learning patterns students use.

Aim: Studying the potential of Vermunt's Inventory of Learning Styles (ILS) in detecting differences in student learning patterns in different medical curricula.

Methods: Cross-sectional between-subjects comparison of ILS-scores in third-year medical students in a conventional, an integrated contextual and a PBL-curriculum using one-way post hoc ANOVA.

Results: Response rate was 85%: 197 conventional, 130 integrated contextual and 301 PBL students. The results show a differential impact from the three curricula. In relation to processing strategies, the students in the problem-based curriculum showed less rote learning and rehearsing, greater variety in sources of knowledge used and less ability to express study content in a personal manner than did the students in the conventional curriculum. The students of the integrated contextual curriculum showed more structuring of subject matter by integrating different aspects into a whole. In relation to regulation strategies, the students in the problem-based curriculum showed significantly more self-regulation of learning content and the students in the integrated contextual curriculum showed lower levels of regulation. As to learning orientations, the students in the problem-based curriculum showed less ambivalence and the students of the conventional curriculum were less vocationally oriented.

Conclusion: The study provides empirical support for expected effects of traditional and innovative curricula which thus far were not well supported by empirical studies.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

J. Van der Veken

VAN DER VEKEN is currently a research associate of the Department of Educational Quality Assurance. He developed and implemented an innovative random sample method for measuring workload and learning context university-wide. He did research on evaluation of OSCE, teaching staff, entrance selection, clerkships and learning patterns.

M. Valcke

MARTIN VALCKE is currently head of the Department of Educational Studies. He is specialised in research focusing on the innovation of higher education. This implies research about change management next to micro-level research about the implementation of collaborative learning, innovative learning materials and evaluation approaches. A large part of his research is set up in developing countries.

A. Muijtjens

ARNO MUIJTJENS was trained in Electrical Engineering (Measurement and Control). He moved to the Department of Medical Informatics and was involved with research on signal- and image analysis, and the development of educational software. He is currently a member of the Department of Educational Development and Research with major interest in the area of methodology and psychometric data analysis in educational research.

J. De Maeseneer

JAN DE MAESENEER is full Professor at Department of Family Medicine and Primary Health Care of Ghent University. As chairman of the Curriculum Development Committee, he is involved in the transition from a discipline oriented towards an integrated contextual medical curriculum at Ghent University. His other research interests are health services; accessibility of health care and interdisciplinary cooperation. He is also involved in projects for development of family medicine in developing countries.

A. Derese

ANSELM DERESE is an associate Professor of Medical Education at Ghent University. He is the director of the Centre for Education Development and of the Skillslab of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. His research focuses on communication, curriculum innovation, and on reflection in the framework of portfolio learning.