Abstract
Background: Educational outcomes among medical students consistently rely on diversified learning patterns and information management. Learning styles describe preferred approaches towards information acquisition, processing, dissemination, and retention, whereas personality traits stimulate cognitive and behavioral patterns. This study examines the relationship between learning styles and personality traits among medical students in medical colleges and universities in Pakistan.
Objective: To study the relationship between learning styles and personality traits among undergraduate medical students.
Methodology: This research study employed a cross-sectional design, with a sample of 382 MBBS students selected through stratified random sampling at CMH Kharian Medical College. Learning styles were assessed using the validated VARK questionnaire, and personality traits were measured using a standardized instrument measured on Likert scale. SPSS is used to analyze the linkage between the learning styles defined by personality traits
Results: Kinesthetic learning was the predominant preference (63.87%), followed by auditory (26.70%), while visual and read/write styles were least common (4.71% each). Most participants demonstrated moderate extroversion (59.42%), and 37.96% exhibited balanced personality traits. No significant association was found between learning styles and personality traits (p = 0.126). Learning styles were not significantly associated with gender (p = 0.097) or academic year (p = 0.531). In contrast, personality traits showed significant associations with gender (p = 0.0004) and academic year (p = 0.017).
Conclusion: Learning style preferences appear distinct from personality traits in this cohort, challenging assumptions of a direct linkage. The prominence of kinesthetic learning underscores the value of active, practice-oriented teaching approaches. Given the significant variation in personality traits across gender and academic progression, medical curricula should prioritize adaptable, multimodal instructional strategies over fixed learning style frameworks to better accommodate learner diversity and optimize educational outcomes