Debunking learning styles: analyzing key predictors of academic success in dental education

To address the ambiguity regarding learning style preferences as predictors of academic success, this study examines the relationship between learning style preferences, gender, lecture attendance, and academic performance among undergraduate dental students. Learning style preferences using the Visual, Auditory, Reading/Writing, and Kinesthetic (VARK) questionnaire were assessed in 326 undergraduate dental students. Their gender, attendance, and academic scores were recorded to analyze correlations. The results showed that 58% of students preferred a multimodal learning style, with kinesthetic being the most common unimodal preference (23.6%). A significant correlation was found between lecture attendance and academic performance (P < 0.001), as 69.2% of students scoring below 50% were irregular attendees. However, some high-achieving (scores ≥70%) students were also irregular attendees, suggesting that self-directed study strategies may compensate for missed lectures. No significant association was observed between gender and lecture attendance or academic performance, reinforcing prior findings that multiple factors beyond gender influence academic success. Additionally, no significant correlation was found between assessed learning styles and academic performance, challenging the effectiveness of learning style-based instruction. A significant discrepancy between students assessed and perceived learning styles (P < 0.05) indicated that students may not accurately identify their learning preferences, relying instead on perceived preferences during independent study. Given these findings, adapting teaching strictly to assessed learning styles may be an inefficient use of resources. Instead, fostering active learning environments and emphasizing evidence-based study strategies may be more beneficial. These findings contribute to the ongoing discourse on learning styles and highlight the importance of research-driven educational practices in health professional education.NEW & NOTEWORTHY This study challenges the effectiveness of learning style-based instruction by demonstrating no significant correlation between assessed learning styles and academic performance among dental students. It highlights a discrepancy between students' assessed and perceived learning styles, suggesting that students may not accurately identify their learning preferences. Additionally, the findings emphasize that self-directed study strategies can compensate for missed lectures, reinforcing the need for active learning approaches over rigid learning style-based teaching methods in health professional education.