Abstract
BACKGROUND: The Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation (DPR) provides both theoretical and practical education, requiring students to engage in diverse learning processes. While learning preferences and information processing have been studied separately in health sciences, their relationship in DPR students remains unexplored. This study investigates this relationship by assessing learning preferences with the Grasha-Riechmann Learning Style Survey (GRLSS) and measuring information acquisition and processing with the Felder and Soloman Index of Learning Styles (ILS). OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between the learning preferences of physiotherapy and rehabilitation students and their processes of information acquisition and processing. METHODS: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 377 students from the DPR were evaluated. A data recording form was used to collect information on the students' age, gender, and year of study/program. Their cumulative grade point average (CGPA) was recorded as a measure of academic performance. Learning preferences were evaluated using the GRLSS, while information acquisition and processing were measured using the Felder and Soloman ILS. RESULTS: A weak positive correlation was found between the collaborative sub-dimension of GRLSS and the active-reflective dimension of ILS (r = 0.228, p < 0.05). Gender-based analysis revealed a negative correlation between the avoidant sub-dimension of GRLSS and the sensing-intuitive of ILS dimension in females (r=-0.216, p < 0.05). In males, CGPA showed a weak correlation with the sensing-intuitive dimension (r = 0.200, p < 0.05). Students with low CGPA scored higher in the avoidant sub-dimension than those with high and very high CGPA (p = 0.011, p < 0.001). No significant differences were found in ILS scores across CGPA groups. CONCLUSIONS: This study investigated the relationship between DPR students' learning preferences and their processes of information acquisition and processing. While significant differences were found in GRLSS sub-dimensions among CGPA groups, no significant correlation was observed between GRLSS and ILS scores. Academic performance was associated with the avoidant sub-dimension of the GRLSS. These findings indicate that other factors may influence this interaction. To gain deeper insight into the complexity of learning preferences and information processing, further research with diverse methodologies is needed. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable.