Abstract
INTRODUCTION. The learning style of a student is an important factor in their ability to gain knowledge. This is especially important in challenging curriculums such as the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program. A common tool to assess one’s learning style is The Kolb Learning Styles Inventory (LSI). A common tool used to measure the progression of a DPT student’s clinical performance is The Physical Therapy Clinical Performance Instrument (PT CPI). The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the learning style of DPT students and their progression of clinical performance. METHODS. This study involves a retrospective, cross sectional analysis of data derived from four classes of DPT students: class of 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 (n= 103). 77 students met the inclusion criteria. The study compares student learning styles as assessed by the Kolb LSI-3.1, and clinical performance as assessed by the CPI. During the DPT curriculum, students complete five clinical experiences (Clinical I, II, III, IV and V). Changes were measured for each individual student using scores for each PT CPI category from midterm to final within each clinical experience. Progression of clinical performance was also measured by comparing the change in scores for each PT CPI category between the midterm of Clinic I and Clinic III, and between the midterm of Clinic III and the midterm of Clinic V. RESULTS. Analysis showed no statistically significant relationship between DPT students’ learning styles and progression of clinical proficiency (p = .05). DISCUSSION. The results suggest that regardless of learning style DPT students have an equal opportunity for success in their clinical education. Study limitations include manual entry of a large volume of data, potential subjective bias of clinical instructors on the PT CPI, and reliability limitations of the Kolb LSI 3.1. Future research regarding the relationship between learning styles and clinical performance should look at whether students who have assessed their learning style perform better clinically than those who have not. Additionally, studies should seek to learn whether the learning styles do in fact change throughout the curriculum, and if they do, whether updated assessment of learning styles throughout the curriculum improves a student’s clinical performance.