Reflective learning and the Net Generation.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Learning Preferences
• Reflective Learning

Background:

• Net Generation medical students often exhibit low engagement with reflective learning activities.
• This disengagement is frequently attributed to a mismatch between traditional reflective learning methods and student learning preferences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the primary learning preferences of first-year undergraduate medical students.
• To determine the relationship between specific learning preferences and performance in reflective learning assessments.

Main Methods:

• A survey was administered to all first-year undergraduate medical students to identify their dominant learning preferences.
• Student scores on written reflective learning assessments were analyzed in conjunction with their identified learning preferences.

Main Results:

• The survey revealed that bodily-kinaesthetic and interpersonal learning preferences were most prevalent among the surveyed students.
• Students who achieved higher scores in their reflective learning assessments predominantly exhibited linguistic and interpersonal learning preferences.

Conclusions:

• Reflective learning implementation in medical curricula may need adjustment to better accommodate student learning preferences.
• Further research is recommended to validate these findings and explore broader generalizability across different student cohorts.