by Rachel Flurie, PGY1 Pharmacotherapy Resident,
University of Maryland School of Pharmacy
Extensive research has
documented that people learn in different ways and there are a variety of
surveys and analytical schema to categorize these different learning
preferences. This allows a person to understand how they learn best and also
allows the teacher/learner to select teaching/learning methods that compliment
these preferences. For example, I took the VARK (Visual, Aural, Read/Write,
Kinesthetic) survey and found out that I am mostly a Read/Write learner.1
Now that I have insight as to how I learn best, I can optimize my learning by
picking materials that capitalize on my strengths. It’s always fun to take these
questionnaires because they give you insights that you might not have been able
to figure out on your own. In these learning descriptors, the emphasis is on
the individual, irrespective of any other attributes or classifications we may have.
But I began to wonder if fundamental genetic characteristics might influence
our learning style. For example, do
males and females have learning preferences that are inherent to their gender?
In a broad sense,
several stereotypes already exist about males and females when it comes to
learning. Men gravitate towards the
sciences while women are attracted to the arts. Men learn better by doing and women learning
better by pondering. These stereotypes were perhaps relevant back when there
was a distinctive division between males and females in terms of gender roles. But do these stereotypes still apply today?
Or are learning styles truly based on individual preferences?
- Women prefer concrete experiences while men prefer abstract concepts
- Women are more socially oriented than men
- Men are more grade-oriented and more competitive than women
In thinking back to
all of my experiences, I would generally nod in agreement with these conclusions.
The fact that they fall into the middle layer of the onion is a key point
because these preferences might be linked to gender, but they’re certainly
not permanent. As an educator, I would be mindful about these preferences when
teaching. In circumstances where the learners are predominantly one gender, altering
your teaching style based on these preferences might be helpful. For example,
you might plan for more group discussions over individual assignments in an
all-female classroom. But in mixed gender classrooms, other issues should
influence your teaching more (e.g. the material being taught, the setting, the
prerequisite knowledge of the learners).
Authors in another
review noted that their literature search revealed a lot of variability in
learning preference based on gender (and in some cases they were even
contradictory!). For example, two studies used the same VARK survey to explore
gender-associated learning differences.4,5 One study, done in undergraduate
physiology students, found that the males preferred multimodal instruction
whereas the females were more likely to have single-mode preferences. The other
study, done in first year medical students, found that the females tended to be
more multimodal in learning style compared to their male counterparts. Perhaps
the preferred learning style is also based on the material being taught?
Personally, I think I have different learning preferences when I’m learning to
cook a meal versus learning how to treat a patient’s hypertension. In the end, I’ve
concluded, apart from a few generalizations that have been made, learning
preferences are not significantly influenced by gender.
Suffice it to say, as
a current learner and educator, I will not be relying on stereotypes when it
comes to men versus women in education. Instead, I will consider learning
preferences on an individual basis and will select the most appropriate methods
based on the material being taught. While some preferences in life might be
heavily influenced by gender, learning style is not one of them.
References:
1. Fleming N. VARK®
A guide to learning styles [Internet]. 2001 [cited 2013 March 11].
Available from: http://www.vark-learn.com/english/index.asp.
2. Severiens SE and
Ten Dam GTM. Gender differences in learning
styles: a narrative review and quantitative meta-analysis. High Educ. 1994;27:487-501.
3. Severiens SE and
Ten Dam GTM. Gender and gender identity
differences in learning styles. Edu Psychol. 1997;17:79-93.
4. Wehrwein EA,
Lujan HL, DiCarlo SE. Gender differences in learning
style preferences among undergraduate physiology students. Adv Physiol Educ.
2007;31:153-157.
5. Slater JA, Lujan
HL, DiCarlo SE. Does gender influence style
preferences of first-year medical students? Adv Physiol Educ. 2007;31:336-342.
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