STUDENTS' LEARNING STYLES FROM VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES: A STUDY AT SEVERAL FACULTIES OF LAMBUNG MANGKURAT UNIVERSITY

Fahmi Fahmi, Januar Inggar Yadi, Muhammad Meidy Nur Hafidz, Siti Malahayati, Maya Safitri, Siti Halimatussa’diah

Abstract


This study aims to analyze students' learning styles from various perspectives across multiple academic disciplines at Lambung Mangkurat University, specifically the Department of Natural Science Education, Department of Sports and Health Education, Department of Management, Department of Pharmacy, Department of Physics, and Department of Psychology. A mixed-methods design was employed, integrating quantitative and qualitative approaches. Quantitative data were collected using the VARK (Visual, Aural, Read/Write, Kinesthetic) learning style inventory administered to 320 students selected through stratified random sampling from the six departments. Descriptive statistics and one-way ANOVA were used to determine variations in learning style preferences across disciplines. In addition, qualitative data were obtained from in-depth interviews and focus group discussions involving 24 students and 8 lecturers to explore underlying factors influencing learning style differences. The findings indicate that kinesthetic and visual learning styles are dominant among students in the Department of Sports and Health Education, Department of Natural Science Education, and Department of Pharmacy, whereas read/write and auditory preferences are more prevalent among students in the Department of Management, Department of Psychology, and Department of Physics (p < 0.05). Qualitative analysis highlights that curriculum characteristics, lecturer teaching strategies, learning environment, and students’ prior learning experiences significantly shape these preferences. The integration of both quantitative and qualitative findings suggests the importance of designing adaptive and diverse teaching strategies that accommodate multiple learning styles to optimize students’ learning outcomes across different academic disciplines in higher education. 

Keywords: Higher education, Lambung Mangkurat University, learning styles, mixed methods, VARK.

 

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengeksplorasi gaya belajar mahasiswa dari berbagai perspektif lintas disiplin ilmu di Universitas Lambung Mangkurat (ULM). Pendekatan mixed methods digunakan dengan melibatkan data kuantitatif melalui kuesioner VARK dan data kualitatif melalui wawancara serta diskusi kelompok terarah. Sebanyak 320 mahasiswa dari enam jurusan: Pendidikan IPA, Pendidikan Olahraga dan Kesehatan, Ilmu Manajemen, Farmasi, Fisika, dan Psikologi—berpartisipasi dalam penelitian ini. Analisis kuantitatif menunjukkan variasi preferensi gaya belajar yang signifikan (p=0,002), dengan mahasiswa Pendidikan Olahraga dan Kesehatan cenderung dominan pada gaya belajar kinestetik (52%), sementara mahasiswa Manajemen dan Psikologi lebih menyukai gaya belajar membaca/menulis dan auditori, serta mahasiswa Pendidikan IPA dan Fisika menunjukkan kecenderungan kuat pada gaya belajar visual. Analisis kualitatif mengungkap bahwa perbedaan gaya belajar dipengaruhi oleh orientasi kurikulum, strategi mengajar dosen, dan lingkungan belajar. Temuan ini mendukung perlunya desain pembelajaran multimodal dan inklusif yang mempertimbangkan perbedaan gaya belajar antar disiplin ilmu. Penelitian ini juga menyoroti tantangan ke depan, terutama dalam penyediaan ekosistem pembelajaran berbasis teknologi yang adil dan mampu mengakomodasi keragaman gaya belajar di perguruan tinggi.

Kata kunci: Pendidikan tinggi, Universitas Lambung Mangkurat, Gaya belajar, desain pembelajaran, VARK.

 


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DOI: https://doi.org/10.20527/i.v5i1.16253

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