Personalized Gamified Learning in a Course on the Urogenital System Anatomy: Differential Effects Across Learning...

Personalized learning approaches adapted to individual metacognitive characteristics have demonstrated promise in Anatomy education. However, whether such benefits are uniform across learner profiles or vary systematically remains an open question with implications for individualized instructional approaches. This quasi-experimental study examined the association between a combined personalized learning and gamification intervention and academic performance in Urogenital Anatomy course, with particular focus on the differential effects across learning preference profiles (CHAEA-based). An intervention cohort (2022-2023, n = 77) that received metacognitive-adapted learning pathways with gamification was compared to a historical control cohort (2021-2022, n = 80). The within-cohort analyses compared performance in personalized vs. traditional assessment modalities (n = 84). The learning preference profiles (CHAEA-based) were assessed using the Honey-Alonso Learning Styles Questionnaire (CHAEA). Between-cohort comparison revealed substantially higher examination scores in the intervention cohort (M = 7.60, SD = 0.70 vs. M = 6.03, SD = 1.60), with a large effect size (Cohen's d = 1.26, 95% CI [0.92, 1.60], p < 0.001) and improved pass rates (100% vs. 68.8%). Within-cohort paired comparisons confirmed a moderate personalization effect (d = 0.67, 95% CI [0.35, 0.99]). In exploratory subgroup analyses, one-way ANOVA revealed significant variation in performance gains across learning preference profiles (CHAEA-based), F (3, 80) = 3.24, p = 0.026, η² = 0.108. Students with Theoretical profiles demonstrated large gains (d = 1.16) that significantly exceeded those of Reflective students (p = 0.038), whereas Pragmatic students showed non-significant gains (d = 0.38). These findings suggest that the effectiveness of personalized learning is moderated by the learning preference profile. These exploratory findings contribute to discussions on individualized approaches in anatomy curricula.