Estilos de aprendizaje preferidos por los estudiantes de nutrición

Abstract

A model of learning styles classifies students according to where they fit into a number of scales corresponding to the way they receive and process information. The aim of the study was to identify the preferences of learning styles in undergraduate students in nutrition. A descriptive and cross-sectional study was carried out. Students were enrolled into four educational experiences: (i) research projects; (ii) malnutrition and deficiency syndromes; (iii) food chemistry (section A); and (iv) food chemistry (section B). To assess learning style preferences, a self-response questionnaire was administered. The questionnaire, however, determines preferences in four pairs of dimensions according to the Felder and Silverman model: sensory/intuitive, visual/verbal, active/reflexive, and sequential/global. In order to analyze the responses of the questionnaire, descriptive and χ-square statistical analyzes were performed. Also, software R and Commander version 1.8-3 was used, and it has a confidence level of 95%. It was concluded that the active, sensitive, visual, and sequential styles were predominant in undergraduate students in nutrition. The sensitive and sequential styles were the most outstanding in the preferences of the students when analyzed through educational experience.