Preferred Learning Styles among Ophthalmology Residents: An Iranian Sample

Abstract

Purpose: This study was performed to assess the learning styles of a sample of Iranian residents through Kolb's and VARK questionnaires.

Methods: In this descriptive-analytical study, 45 ophthalmology residents of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences were enrolled. Kolb's and VARK questionnaires were provided, and residents were oriented and guided on how to complete them.

Results: Forty-three out of the forty-five ophthalmology residents completed the questionnaire (95.5% response rate). The preferred learning style among ophthalmology residents was assimilative (51.2%), followed by convergent (37.2%), accommodative (7.7%), and divergent (4.7%), based on Kolb's questionnaire. According to the results of the VARK questionnaire, most ophthalmology residents were auditory learners (34.9%), followed by multimodal learners (30.2%). In addition, there was no significant relation between genders, stage of residency, and Kolb's and VARK learning styles (P $>$ 0.05 for all).

Conclusion: The most preferred learning styles of ophthalmology residents were assimilative and auditory. Considering the dominant learning styles of learners and incorporating various teaching methods are recommended to enhance the learning among residents.

Keywords: Iran; Kolb Inventory; Ophthalmology; VARK Inventory; Resident; learning Style.