Change in learning preferences from pre-clinical to clinical course of undergraduate medical students– a longitudinal study

Learning strategies are important in medical students’ lives which are attributed to the instructional circumstances and prevailing environment in educational institutions. Analysisof students’ learning preferences will enable the educators to plan an appropriate curriculum and modulate the motivational factors. Hence this study was undertaken to assess the changes in learning strategies of students during the course from pre-clinical to clinical and to determine the influence of gender on these preferences. A longitudinal study was conducted in a Medical college of Karnataka using a pre-designed, semi-structured questionnaire from first year MBBS students and re-administered in the final year.The preference for medium of learning shifted from books in first year to teachers in final year (p<0.0001). Students preferred to clarify doubts from friends in first year but by final year they preferred teachers (p<0.0001). Teachers were a source of motivation in first year but by final year they were self-motivated (p-0.029). Gender-wise analysis revealed a significant difference in learning preferences. There is a need for a judicious mix of different learning methods for overall teaching learning experience.