Revista Electrónica de LEEME (Jun 2010)
Learning Styles of Undergraduate Musical Students Attending Music College in Thailand
Abstract
Some previous studies postulate that every individual has a different learning style. Students have preferences for the ways in which they receive information. One of the most challenges that music educator in Thailand face today is improving the level of music student satisfaction with the curriculum and learning environment. To determine whether a particular teaching method might enhance student satisfaction with the learning process, a learning preferences survey linked to sensory modalities was given to music students of Undergraduate Studies at College of Music Mahidol University, Thailand. The survey called VARK (an acronym for Visual, Aural, Read-Write, and Kinesthetic) was applied in order to identify student’s preferences for particular modes of information presentation. The purpose of this descriptive study was thus to determine the learning style and measure the distribution of learning preference mean scores of the music students and note any significant differences among classes and gender determined using 348 participants from the Mahidol University College of Music, Thailand, in 2008-2009. According to the VARK questionnaire, students were divided into five groups (visual, auditory, read-write, kinesthetic, and multimodal learners). The unimodality preference was 33.9 % and multimodality was 66.1 %. Among the students who preferred one mode of information presentation, 15.3 % were kinesthetic, 62.7 % were auditory, 10.2 % were visual, and 11.9 % were read-write learners, respectively. Some students preferred multiple modes: bimodal (26.4 %), trimodal (27.3 %), and quadmodal (12.4 %), respectively. Music students prefer aural learning at a higher percentage than other modes. Inter-class differences varied while gender differences were not significant. Introducing the VARK survey can provide a vehicle for self-knowledge and to explore opportunities for making the music educational experience both more productive and enjoyable for students and faculty members. Knowing the music students preferred learning modes can: (1) help provide instruction tailored to the student’s individual preferences, (2) overcome the predisposition to treat all music students in a similar way, (3) motivate teachers to move from their preferred mode(s) to using others, and (4) develop appropriate learning approaches and explore opportunities so that music educators will be able to make the educational experience more productive. Key words: Learning Modes. Visual. Auditory. Read/Write. Kinesthetic. Music Education.
