[Learning preferences in students of a Children medical school. Longitudinal study]

In a longitudinal study, a sample of 16 first year medical students of Universidad de La Frontera medical school was selected initially. The sample was stratified in two groups according to the academic results obtained at the end of the first semester. The aim of the study was to determine if the exposure to a traditional teaching methodology during 5 years causes changes in learning preferences that were detected at the beginning of the career. The Rezler self report inventory for learning preferences was applied to all the students in two opportunities: at the end of the first academic semester and after finishing the first five years of undergraduate training. The obtained results show a dynamic behavior or students preferences in both groups. At the beginning and end of the study a predominance of subcategory "concrete" is seen in both groups. The students belonging to the category "interpersonal" at the beginning of the study, changed posteriorly to the subcategory "individual", which also finally predominated in both groups.