A Comparative Questionnaire-based Study on Learning Styles and Studying Resources among Undergraduate Medical Students in Public and Private Universities

Abstract

Background: Learning styles are circumstances beneath which learners most expeditiously and successfully understand, process, store, and recall what they are attempting to learn. The main goal of the current study was to compare different methods of study and learning style predilections amongst undergraduate MBBS students who attend public and private universities. Methods: The current study was a descriptive cross-sectional research. Data collected were obtained through a questionnaire filled by second- and third-year students in Omdurman Islamic University - OIU (public) and University of Medical Sciences and Technology – UMST (private) using systematic random sampling. Using the SPSS version 23 software, the data were analyzed and Chi-square test was used to test the significance considering the α (alpha) level of significance as 0.05. Results: The application of the Chi-square test showed that there is no relation between the a method of study used and the students’ grades (P = 0.333). The most preferred learning style in OIU was found to be Aural (60.0%), while in UMST it was read/write (57.9%). The most preferred source of studying used in OIU was found to be extracourses (private courses given outside the university), whereas in UMST it was found to be the teachers’ slides. Conclusion: The most preferred learning style for public university was found to be aural while for private university it was found to read/write. This factor must be taken into consideration while teaching sessions are being conducted. Interestingly, there was no statistical association between the study methodology and students’ grades.