Preferred Learning Styles of Undergraduate and Graduate Pharmacy Students Derkach Tetiana M.1,*, Kharitonenko Anna I.2 1Department of Professional Education in Technologies and Design, Kyiv National University of Technologies and Design, Nemirovicha-Danchenko Str, 2, Kyiv, 01011, Ukraine 2Department of Industrial Pharmacy, Kyiv National University of Technologies and Design, Nemirovicha-Danchenko Str, 2, Kyiv, 01011, Ukraine *Corresponding Author E-mail: derkach.tm@knutd.edu.ua
Online published on 20 December, 2018. Abstract The indices of learning styles by Felder-Soloman's method have been studied for 188 students of the speciality "Industrial Pharmacy" of 1–5 years of study. The preferred learning styles for undergraduate students remain practically unchanged during four years of study and are characterised by the predominance of active (65–79% of all respondents), sensitive (82–92%), visual (75–81%) and sequential (64–73%) styles. In contrast, master's students demonstrate more adherents of the reflective (43% graduate versus on average 29% undergraduate students), intuitive (29% vs 12%) and verbal styles (43% vs 23%). No significant changes in the dimension of sequential-global styles are observed: 70–71% of students prefer a sequential style for all five years of study. Thus, the preferences in learning styles demonstrate stability over four years of a bachelor's course. The difference between the styles of undergraduate and graduate students is likely to emerge at a stage of the additional selection of students when they enter a master's course. The change in the learning profile of a group of master's students takes place compared to a group of undergraduate students rather than a variation in the preferred styles of individuals. Master's students are generally more prone to scientific and research work that, in turn, forms a tendency to reflection and synthesis and activates various channels of perception of information, enhancing the role of reflective, intuitive and verbal styles. At the same time, no fundamental changes in learning styles are observed for individuals; their preferences remain typical for students of engineering and chemical specialities. The comparison of the learning profiles of the 3rd year students, entering the university after either secondary schools or medical colleges, provides additional arguments in favour of the importance of a selection stage in the formation of the profile of student groups. The former college students retain the preferences which have already been formed in the process of their admission and training at medical colleges and are inherent in future physicians and pharmacists. In contrast, school-leavers demonstrate preferences typical for the speciality of industrial pharmacy. Top Keywords Index of Learning Style by R. Felder and B. Soloman, industrial pharmacy speciality, chemical disciplines, learning style stability, college graduate and school-leaver. Top |