International Journal of Therapy and Rehabilitation, May 2013, Vol 20, No 5 255 Learning styles of allied health sciences students at Kuwait University Background/aim: Little is known about learning style preferences of allied health students in the Middle East as the majority of learning style studies have been conducted in the western world. This study examined the learning styles of undergraduate allied health students at Kuwait University. Methods: A stratified sampling method was used to compare the learning styles of 256 students enrolled in five allied health programs at the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences Centre at Kuwait University. The students completed the Kolb Learning Style Inventory (LSI-IIa) questionnaire in the first weeks of their course. Results: The response rate was 73.1% (n=256). All of the allied health students from the five educational programs were highest in the areas of abstract conceptualization (AC). All the other allied health students, except physical therapists (PT), also indicated a preference for reflective observation (RO). Conclusion: This study’s participants’ learning style preferences were ‘assimilator’, which is formed by an intersection of the AC and RO learning styles. Healthcare educators working in the Arab cultures are encouraged to modify their teaching styles in order to improve learning among their students. Key words: n Kolb Learning Style Inventory n Teaching strategies n Arab students n Learning preferences Submitted 12 August 2012, sent back for revisions 19 November 2012; accepted for publication following double-blind peer review 15 April 2013 Fahad Manee, Mohammed Nadar, Haitham Jahrami L earning style refers to the manner in which learners most efficiently and effectively perceive, process, store, and recall material they learn (James and Gardner, 1995). It is a concept that has received considerable attention in the literature, including in the field of allied health sciences (Cavanagh et al, 1995; Linares, 1999; Sandmire et al, 2000; Hauer et al, 2005). Research indicates that peo- ple’s approaches to learning differs and that no single strategy results in high-quality learning for everybody (Cavanagh et al, 1995). Gaining insight into allied health students’ learning style preferences may lead to more effective and independent learning experiences for the students, lecturers and educational policy makers. With the exception of nursing (Suliman, 2003, Abu-Moghli et al, 2005), no studies have examined learning styles among health profes- sionals in the Arab world. Kolb’s experiencial learning theory Learning style theories are often associated with the characteristics of professional groups (Sims and Sims, 2006). The theory most commonly applied to health professionals’ learning styles is Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle, which is based on Lewin’s cycle (Titiloye and Scott, 2001). Lewin’s suggested there are four stages of learning: concrete experience; personal reflec- tion; linking with previous knowledge; and, lastly, exploring new ways of adjusting (French et al, 2007). Kolb proposed that individuals have a specific learning style preference based on their use of Lewin’s four learning phases and influ- enced by their personality traits (Kolb, 1984). This study uses Kolb’s Experiencial Learning Theory as students’ learning may evolve during their academic and practical training, and as they become socialized into the qualified health profes- sional role. Kolb’s learning style theory has been operationalized into a standardised self-report questionnaire known as the Kolb’s Learning Style Inventory (K-LSI) (Kolb, 1984; 1999), which has become the most frequently-used method for assessing health professionals’ learning styles. Kolb’s Experiencial Learning Theory model has a horizontal and vertical axis. The horizontal axis (the processing continuum) representing a prefer- ence for doing tasks at one end—active experimen- tation (AE), and a preference for watching tasks at the other—reflective observation (RO) (Kolb, 1984). The vertical axis (the perception contin- uum) identifies a preference based on feeling at one end—concrete Experience (CE), and thinking at the other—abstract Conceptualization (AC). Fahad Manee is Assistant Professor in the Occupational Therapy Department. Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Kuwait University; Mohammed Nadar is Acting Chairman of the Department of Occupational Therapy and Assistant Professor in the Occupational Therapy Department at the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences at Kuwait University; Haitham Jahrami is Head Occupational Therapy, Psychiatric Hospital, Bahrain Correspondence to: Fahad Manee E-mail: ot_manee@hsc. edu.kw al Journal of Therapy and Rehabilitation.Downloaded from magonlinelibrary.com by 139.141.090.021 on March 31, 2015. For personal use only. No other uses without permission. . All right