Reviewing Learning Styles Regarding Medical Students of Kerman University of Medical Sciences and Providing a Teaching Method Appropriate based on Their Views

One of the most important factors in students learning is their learning style whose identification helps to produce an optimal and effective learning program. This study aimed to determine the learning styles in medical students and providing an appropriate teaching method based on their views. This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2011 on 276 medical students who were chosen by proportional to size method. The means of data collection was a questionnaire، which included three parts i. e. demographic factors، Kolb’s learning styles and questions about teaching methods. Then the data were collected and analyzed. Learning style of most of the students was assimilator (47. 1%) and the order afterwards was divergent style (26. 8%)، convergent (18. 5%)، and accommodator (7. 6%)، respectively. The most appropriate teaching methods from the viewpoints of students were concept attainment، ward report and case-conference methods. No statistically significant association was found between the learning style and the variables of age، gender، academic year and material status. There was a statistically significant association between the habitat of students and their wish to continue study; however، in urban students was accommodator and in students who wanted to study in postgraduate levels، learning style was divergent. Considering note that medical students، have chosen concept attainment، ward report and case-conference methods as appropriate pattern of teaching for their training، this results are helpful for medical education system so that to improve students’ learning. The lecturers had better bring student-centered approach -in which learners have an active role to learn- rather than uniform teaching method such as lectures.