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Published on:August 2016
Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, 2016; 50(3):330-334
Original Article | doi:10.5530/ijper.50.3.3

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


Authors and affiliation (s):

Edna Magdalena John1, Chin Fen Neoh1,2*, Long Chiau Ming1,3, Yet Hoi Hong4, Yahaya Hassan1

1Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Puncak Alam Campus, Selangor, MALAYSIA.

2Collaborative Drug Discovery Research (CDDR) Group, Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences Community of Research, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam Campus, Selangor, MALAYSIA.

3Vector-borne Diseases Research Group (VERDI), Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences Community of Research, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam Campus, Selangor, MALAYSIA.

4Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, MALAYSIA.

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.

Key words: Assimilator, Converger, Learning styles, Pharmacy, PILS.

 




 

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The Official Journal of Association of Pharmaceutical Teachers of India (APTI)
(Registered under Registration of Societies Act XXI of 1860 No. 122 of 1966-1967, Lucknow)

Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (IJPER) [ISSN-0019-5464] is the official journal of Association of Pharmaceutical Teachers of India (APTI) and is being published since 1967.

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