Health Promotion: VARK Questionnaire and Learning Style Analysis

This report presents an analysis of a student's learning style based on the VARK questionnaire, which identifies preferences for visual, aural, read/write, and kinesthetic learning modalities. The student's preferred learning style is identified as visual, emphasizing the use of graphs, charts, and flow diagrams for information processing. The report compares the student's current learning strategies with those recommended for visual learners, highlighting the benefits of concise data representation in healthcare, such as improved memorization and understanding of complex concepts like disease pathophysiology. The report further discusses the importance of awareness of learning styles for healthcare educators in developing effective curricula and teaching methods, leading to improved student performance, confidence, critical thinking, and patient outcomes. The student concludes that adapting to their visual learning preference will enhance academic performance and patient care.

Running head: HEALTH PROMOTION
Health Promotion
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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HEALTH PROMOTION
Introduction
Learning styles represent different approaches based on preferences, strengths and
weakness. For the students or learners, learning styles must be considered for creating a
proper learning plan in order to achieve desired academic outcome (Leach-lopez et al., 2019).
The following assignment is based on analysis of my learning style evolved upon completion
of the VARK questionnaire. VARK stands of Visual, Aural, Read/Write and Kinesthetic
sensor modalities that are employed for learning information. According to Fleming and
Mills (1992), four modalities covered in VARK model is extracted from the experiences of
the students and teachers (VARK, 2019).
Visual (V) modality
According to the VARK questionnaire, visual modality denotes preference for visual
depiction of information like in the form of spider diagrams, flow-charts, graphs, labeled
diagrams, circles, symbolic arrows, hierarchies and other devices that students used to
represent their academic study rather than presenting it with words. The modality however,
does not include still pictures of reality, videos, movies or power-point presentation. For a
visual modality learner, meaningful symbol used for establishing relationship between
different objects or concepts are preferred (VARK, 2019).
Preferred learning style
The learning strategies preferred my me include reading and writing as I used to
follow the conventional learning style in my academic career. However, VARK test revealed
that my preferred learning style is visual. I am a visual learner as per the VARK modalities,
the main learning strategies that must be used by a visual learner are use of graphs, charts,
tables and flow diagrams. According to Leach-lopez et al. (2019), the reading and writing

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style of learning mainly give emphasis over the text-based inputs like report writing, essay
and manual. However, McKenna et al. (2018) are of the opinion that this conventional style
of learning is time consuming and makes the overall assignment monotonous for the readers.
The representation of the information done by a visual learner is attracted, requires less time
and also helps in stringent representation of the data.
Before identification of my preferred learning styles, I used to read the text loud and
then used to write the entire text in order to memorize the context. However, going forward, I
will structured my entire through process generated from reading the entire text in the form of
flow chart, graphs and diagrams. This will help in a concise representation of the data.
Jaafarpour, Aazami and Mozafari (2016) stated that concise represented of the data is
extremely important in the healthcare profession as it helps in memorizing critical facts and
figures. Jaafarpour, Aazami and Mozafari (2016) further highlighted that the use of the
concept maps are extremely important for representation of a detailed path physiology of the
disease, symptoms treatments and outcomes. In this way the student gets a clear overview of
the disease and thus helping in understanding the process quickly. The use of attractive colors
in designing of the concept maps helps in promoting faster memorizing of the information.
This is something different from reading and then writing. As while revising the solution,
entire text must be read and re-read for recapitulation, taking much of the time.
Awareness of learning style (300)
According to Stirling and Alquraini (2017) development of knowledge about the
different learning styles, helps the healthcare faculties to develop proper curriculum and
adopt different learning methods that is enjoyable for the students while casting a significant
impact over the overall learning environment. Stirling and Alquraini (2017) further argued
that having clear knowledge about the preferred learning styles help the aspiring healthcare

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professionals to frame their learning plan according and thereby helping to promote effective
learning outcomes that is being reflected in the patient care. Willingham, Hughes and
Dobolyi (2015) stated that theories of the learning style suggest that individuals think best
and learn best in different learning ways. These are not regarded as differences between the
abilities but rather provide preferences for proper processing of the information and
processing of the information in different ways. Identification of the proper learning styles by
a student helps in improving the learning outcomes and it also helps in promoting proper
interaction of instruction to the students. The selection of the learning style cast a significant
difference in the behavioral change of the student. This is because, use of proper learning
style helps to increase the academic performance of the healthcare students. The
improvement in the academic performance of the healthcare professionals helps to improve
their level of confidence and their healthcare-related knowledge and critical thinking
approach. The improvement in the level of confidence helps in improving overall patients’
health-related outcomes (Soundariya, Deepika & Kalaiselvan, 2017). Carter, Creedy and
Sidebotham (2016) further stated that use of the preferred learning styles by the healthcare
learners helps to promote their overall approach of critical thinking. Promotion of critical
thinking is extremely crucial for the healthcare profession, especially for nursing as it helps in
proper identification of the clinical priority and at the same time helps to design the patient
centered care plan. Designing of the patients’ centered care plan helps to improve the overall
outcome of the care. It also helps in decreasing the length of stay at the hospital and overall
cost of care. Designing of the teaching methods based on the preferred learning styles further
promotes the overall approach of critical thinking (Carter, Creedy & Sidebotham, 2016).

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Conclusion
Thus from the above discussion it can be concluded that my preferred learning style
that has been evolved from the VARK questionnaire is Visual learning modality. This
learning modality promotes me to frame my learning plan based on the data representation
through graphs, charts and flow charts of arrow-based diagrams. Visual learning style is
different from the conventional learning style as it requires less amount of time and helps in
attractive presentation of the data. Going forward I will use this learning style and using my
preferred learning style will help me to excel in the academic understanding and the same
will get reflected in the patients’ outcome.

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References
Carter, A. G., Creedy, D. K., & Sidebotham, M. (2016). Efficacy of teaching methods used to
develop critical thinking in nursing and midwifery undergraduate students: A
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Jaafarpour, M., Aazami, S., & Mozafari, M. (2016). Does concept mapping enhance learning
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Leach-lopez, M. A., Lee, E. S., & Leach, M. M. (2019). Is There a Relationship between
VARK Learning Styles and the Perceived Usefulness of Online Learning Tools in
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McKenna, L., Copnell, B., Butler, A. E., & Lau, R. (2018). Learning style preferences of
Australian accelerated postgraduate pre-registration nursing students: A cross-
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Soundariya, K., Deepika, V., & Kalaiselvan, G. (2017). A study on the learning styles and
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Stirling, B. V., & Alquraini, W. A. (2017). Using VARK to assess Saudi nursing students'
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Taibah University Medical Sciences, 12(2), 125-130.
VADK. (2019). VADK Modalities. Access date: 24th August 2019. Retrieved from:
http://vark-learn.com/introduction-to-vark/the-vark-modalities/
Willingham, D. T., Hughes, E. M., & Dobolyi, D. G. (2015). The scientific status of learning
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