Academic achievement of undergraduate health students: Effect of learning styles and personal-familial factors

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between academic achievement and learning styles, personal characteristics (e.g., age, gender), and family characteristics (e.g., family structure, income) among undergraduate health sciences students. The study included 735 undergraduate students from four health sciences departments—Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, Nutrition and Dietetics, Health Management, and Nursing—each with a four-year curriculum. Learning styles were assessed using the Index of Learning Styles, while academic performance was measured by Grade Point Averages (GPA) ranging from 1.00 to 4.00. Students with a GPA below 3.00 were categorised as low achievers (n = 499), and those with a GPA of 3.00 or higher as high achievers (n = 236). The Mann-Whitney U test compared numerical data, and the chi-squared test analysed categorical variables. Significant differences in daily leisure time, daily study time, gender, department, high school graduation type, and accommodation were observed between low and high achievers (p < 0.05). However, age did not significantly differ between groups (p > 0.05). Among family factors, no significant differences were found in family structure, family income, or paternal education level (p > 0.05), but maternal education level showed a significant difference (χ² = 27.371, p < 0.001). Visual/verbal learning styles differed significantly between groups (χ² = 7.024, p = 0.03), while no significant differences were found for active/reflective, sensing/intuitive, or sequential/global learning styles. The study highlights the significant impact of personal and family characteristics on the academic success of health sciences students, emphasizing the crucial role of learning styles in academic achievement. These findings can inform strategies to enhance academic performance in health sciences education.