The influence of curriculum format on learning preference and learning style

Area of Science:

• Occupational Therapy Education
• Learning Sciences

Background:

• Understanding student learning preferences is crucial for effective curriculum design in health professions.
• Occupational therapy programs increasingly adopt innovative teaching methods beyond traditional lectures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess changes in learning preferences and information processing among undergraduate occupational therapy students.
• To evaluate the impact of a guided-study, modified competency-based program on student learning styles.

Main Methods:

• Administered Rezler-French Learning Preference and Kolb Learning Style Inventories pre- and post-curriculum.
• Students participated in a guided-study, modified competency-based program with diverse instructional modes.
• Compared pretest and posttest scores to identify significant differences in learning preferences.

Main Results:

• No statistically significant differences were found in students' learning preferences or information processing after the program.
• The varied instructional methods did not lead to a measurable shift in how students preferred to learn.

Conclusions:

• The findings suggest that undergraduate occupational therapy students' core learning preferences may remain stable despite exposure to diverse teaching methodologies.
• Implications for curriculum development indicate a need to consider the persistence of learning styles in educational interventions.