Changes in Learning Style: Does it Change?

Background: Learning styles can change over time. Changes in learning styles can be influenced by the learning environment that students accept. The dominant learning style provides an overview of students' adjustment in the learning environment. The studies aim to analyze the changes in the learning styles of medical students in the Faculty of Medicine over the past three years.

Methods: A cohort study was conducted to medical students in 2016 and 2017 (n= 107). All students were asked to fill out Kolb learning styles questionnaire twice, first during the first semester and the second in semester V. A comparative analysis was conducted to measure the significance of changes in learning styles.

Results: The most learning styles in the first semester were Diverger (40.4%), followed by Converger (24.6%), Assimilator (19.3%), and Accommodator (15.8%). In the fifth semester still dominated by Diverger (33.3%), Converger (28.1%), Accomodator (21.1%), and Assimilator (17, 5%). There was no significant difference found between student learning styles in the first year and third year (p> 0.05).

Conclusion: There is no difference in the dominant learning style between the first year and the third year. But there are changes in student learning styles over time.