Mapping of learning styles in the Postgraduate Program in Health Sciences

ABSTRACT Introduction: Motivation and the correct use of teaching strategies in postgraduate studies at medical schools are essential for the learning and training of future masters and doctors. Therefore, it is necessary to use innovative teaching practices that encourage the involvement of postgraduate students; however it is essential to map the profile of these students as the learning process is complex, not limited to just acquiring answers or knowledge, but also to social characteristics and individual preferences for study and learning methods. Objective: The objective of this research was to understand the current profile of postgraduate students at a medical school. Method: A cross-sectional, descriptive, comparative and quantitative study was carried out on the learning styles of volunteer stricto sensu postgraduate students at a Faculty of Medicine in Brazil, approved by the Research Ethics Committee with CAAE number 65602022.5.0000.5412 and Opinion of Approval number 5,836,381. Participants in this study voluntarily answered 44 questions about learning styles from the Felder-Silverman instrument, which considers the sensory/intuitive, visual/verbal, active/reflective and sequential/global dimensions in characterizing the student. The EdA Platform was used to collect and tabulate the data, which processes information about the dimensions, preferred style and the most striking characteristics of each style. Result: The preferred learning styles of master’s students were: sensory, visual, active and sequential while for the doctorate, sensory, visual, active and global styles predominated. Thus, there was a significant difference in the learning styles of the comprehension category, which assesses the way in which the individual assimilates information. In this case, there was a prevalence in the master’s degree for the sequential and in the doctorate for the global style. Conclusion: The data obtained demonstrate the need for a diversity of teaching and learning methods due to cultural and educational differences between medical and non-medical professionals within the same postgraduate program in health sciences.