Choi, Franchesca D, Yu, Alyssa Marie M, Loquias, Monet M
Objectives: To assess the learning styles of the students at the University of the Philippines – Manila (UP Manila) College of Pharmacy and to determine their association to teaching method preferences and academic performance.
Methods: A survey was conducted among 198 pharmacy students from UP Manila, using a validated, online, electronic questionnaire based on the 100-item version of Vermunt’s Inventory of Learning Styles (ILS).
Results: The most prevalent learning style among Pharmacy students across all year levels is reproduction-directed (36.4%) followed by application-directed (26.8%). In general, students favored lecture as teaching method and selected reading assignments and reporting as the least preferred. Students with application-directed learning styles preferred laboratory exercises while students with meaning-directed learning styles and reproduction-directed learning styles preferred lectures. No significant relationship was found between learning style and academic performance (p = 0.687).
Conclusions: Reproduction-directed is the most prevalent learning style among Pharmacy students in the University of the Philippines Manila. Each learning style favors a certaim teaching method, but there was no relationship found between learning style and academic performance. The learning style profile of the students may be built upon on, to develop meaning-directed approaches by focusing on interventions that will promote deep, critical processing and self-regulation.
