Learning styles of medical students, general surgery residents, and general surgeons: implications for surgical education

BMC Medical Education

Research Article

Chris de Gara¹  Paul T Engels¹ 

[1] Department of Surgery, University of Alberta, Walter C. Mackenzie Centre, University of Alberta Hospital, 8440-112 Street NW, T6G 2R7, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada;

关键词: Learning Style;    Undergraduate Medical Student;    Learn Style Inventory;    Trainee Selection;    Learning Style Difference;   

DOI  :  10.1186/1472-6920-10-51

 received in 2010-02-12, accepted in 2010-06-30,  发布年份 2010

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundSurgical education is evolving under the dual pressures of an enlarging body of knowledge required during residency and mounting work-hour restrictions. Changes in surgical residency training need to be based on available educational models and research to ensure successful training of surgeons. Experiential learning theory, developed by David Kolb, demonstrates the importance of individual learning styles in improving learning. This study helps elucidate the way in which medical students, surgical residents, and surgical faculty learn.MethodsThe Kolb Learning Style Inventory, which divides individual learning styles into Accommodating, Diverging, Converging, and Assimilating categories, was administered to the second year undergraduate medical students, general surgery resident body, and general surgery faculty at the University of Alberta.ResultsA total of 241 faculty, residents, and students were surveyed with an overall response rate of 73%. The predominant learning style of the medical students was assimilating and this was statistically significant (p < 0.03) from the converging learning style found in the residents and faculty. The predominant learning styles of the residents and faculty were convergent and accommodative, with no statistically significant differences between the residents and the faculty.ConclusionsWe conclude that medical students have a significantly different learning style from general surgical trainees and general surgeons. This has important implications in the education of general surgery residents.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Engels and de Gara; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2010