Learning Styles and Educational Outcomes in Health Professions

Learning styles denote individuals’ preferred methods of processing and retaining new information, encompassing dimensions such as visual, auditory, kinesthetic, sensing–intuitive and sequential–global orientations. In health professions education, acknowledging these preferences has informed the shift towards active, student-centred curricula that integrate problem-based learning, simulation and multimedia resources. Medical undergraduates frequently exhibit visual and sequential tendencies, favouring diagrams and stepwise instruction, while allied health learners often display converging and assimilating modes, combining practical application with conceptual understanding. Although aligning teaching methods with learning preferences is thought to enhance engagement and skill acquisition, evidence of direct improvements in academic outcomes remains mixed. Practical applications include scaffolding of clinical skills training, diversified assessment strategies and learner self-awareness initiatives. Globally, tailoring educational design to accommodate varied learning styles carries implications for workforce competence, interprofessional collaboration and lifelong professional development in rapidly evolving healthcare systems.

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Learning Styles and Educational Outcomes in Health Professions publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in learning styles and educational outcomes in health professions across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Learning style: An individual’s preferred method of processing and retaining information.

Sensing: A preference for concrete, practical information and hands-on learning experiences.

Sequential: A preference for linear, stepwise progression through material to build understanding.

Visual: A preference for diagrams, charts and spatial representations of information.

Converger: In experiential learning theory, a learner who excels at applying ideas to practical problems.

Assimilator: In experiential learning theory, a learner who favours organising information into coherent theoretical models.

References

1. Mapping the learning styles of medical students in Brazil. BMC Medical Education (2024).
2. Learning styles of physiotherapists: a systematic scoping review. BMC Medical Education (2019).
3. Does tailoring instructional style to a medical student’s self-perceived learning style improve performance when teaching intravenous catheter placement? A randomized controlled study. BMC Medical Education (2016).