Preferred Learning Styles of Dental Students in Madinah, Saudi Arabia: Bridging the Gender Gap

PURPOSE: Currently, the dental education system in Saudi Arabia is gender segregated. It is important to find out whether teaching methods must be altered to improve the learning experience for both genders throughout their years of study. This study aims to investigate the preferred learning styles for males and females studying dentistry at Taibah University, Madinah, Saudi Arabia and the effect of academic level on the learning style preference. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional survey composed of the visual, aural, read/write, kinesthetic (VARK) questionnaire was distributed to 228 undergraduate dental students at Taibah University through emails during September/October 2020. Student learning styles were presented using descriptive statistics. Learning preferences between genders and academic years were compared using independent proportional t-test and Chi-square test. RESULTS: A total of 168 dental students completed the questionnaire. Both genders displayed a higher percentage of a unimodal learning preference (60% males, 50% females) with 41% of males preferring the kinesthetic learning style, followed by the aural (26%) then the visual (20%), and lastly read/write learning style (12.6%). Female students preferred the kinesthetic learning style (42%), followed by the visual (27%) then the aural (20%), and lastly read/write learning style (11%). All students throughout the 6 academic years preferred the unimodal learning approach with the kinesthetic style favored. The quadmodal was preferred mostly by interns. CONCLUSION: Both male and female students studying dentistry at Taibah University had a unimodal learning preference. Quadmodal learning was popular among interns. Both genders preferred the kinesthetic learning style, followed by the aural for males and visual for females. Teaching methods must be tailored to suit the learning style of each gender to promote motivation and thriving for a successful outcome.