Dissemin is shutting down on January 1st, 2025

Published in

Elsevier, Physiotherapy, 2(99), p. 146-152, 2013

DOI: 10.1016/j.physio.2012.05.004

Links

Tools

Export citation

Search in Google Scholar

Profiling physiotherapy student preferred learning styles within a clinical education context

Journal article published in 2013 by Steve Milanese, Susan Gordon ORCID, Aya Pellatt
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

Full text: Download

Green circle
Preprint: archiving allowed
Orange circle
Postprint: archiving restricted
Red circle
Published version: archiving forbidden
Data provided by SHERPA/RoMEO

Abstract

Objectives: This study investigated the preferred learning styles, related to clinical education of a cohort of final year physiotherapy students. Design: A cross sectional observation study using a questionnaire survey. Setting: Undergraduate physiotherapy program at James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland. Participants: 48 final year physiotherapy students representing 89% of the total cohort (48/54). Interventions: Survey questionnaire using Kolb's Learning Style Inventory (Version 3.1). Results: The preferred learning styles were spread uniformly across the three learning styles of Converging, Assimilating and Accommodating, with the least preferred method of learning style the Diverging style. This suggests that in the clinical environment this student cohort are least likely to prefer to develop their learning from actually experiencing the scenario i.e. in front of a real life patient (concrete experience), and were more likely prefer this learning to come from a theoretical perspective, allowing them to consider the problem/scenario before experiencing it. When transforming this experience into knowledge, they prefer to use it on a 'real life' patient (active experimentation). Conclusion: Whilst understanding learning styles have been promoted as a means of improving the learning process, there remains a lack of high level evidence. The findings of this study reinforce those of other studies into the learning styles of physiotherapy students suggesting that physiotherapy students share common learning style profiles.