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Instructional preferences of medical students of first and third semester medical students in athletics training

Background: Athletics training is given using personality models, information processing models, social interaction models and instructional preference models. This study uses the VARK (Visual Auditory Read/Write Kinesthetic)- visual, auditory, read/write, and kinesthetic inventory to gather information as per instructional preference model for assessing learning preferences among first and third semester MBBS students with reference to athletics training. Aim: This study is designed to evaluate and compare instructional learning style preferences of first and third semester medical students in a peripheral medical college in India. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted on first and third semester MBBS students with each group having 100 students each. VARK inventory version 7.1 was administered to determine the preferred instructional mode based upon the four sensory modalities- visual, auditory, read/write and kinesthetic with reference to athletics training. Results: About 80% of the first semester students had unimodal learning preferences out of which 11%, 49%, 5% and 15% students preferred visual, auditory, read/write and kinesthetic modes respectively. In comparison, significantly higher percentage (51%) of third semester students had multimodal learning preferences. Their unimodal learning preference was 4% visual, 6% auditory, 5% read/write and 14% kinesthetic modes. First semester students′ auditory instructional style as the most preferred method, whereas the third semester students, preferred the kinesthetic mode. Conclusion: With the passage of time in the medical course, students adapt to a multimodal method of instruction. It is, therefore, in the interest of students to strengthen, encourage and adopt a multimodal approach to physical training rather than resorting to the conservative unimodal approach.