The Relationship Between Learning Styles, Locus of Control, and Academic Achievement Among Virtual Learners at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences

Objectives: The general objective of this research was to study the learning styles and locus of control of virtual students at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences and its relationship with their academic attainment. Methods: This was a descriptive study carried out during year 2017. One hundred virtual learners from Shiraz University of Medical Sciences were randomly selected as the participants of this study. The instrument used in this study was the Kolb Learning Style Inventory and Rotter locus of control scale (1996). Kolb Learning Style Inventory consists of 12 questions and four sections. Vilkaksn measured the reliability of the study by using Alpha, and reported on high reliability (active examination = 0.67, abstract understanding = 0.83 thinking observation = 0.87, objective experience = 0.82). The stability of Rotter’s questionnaire was reported by franklin to be more than 82%. The quantitative data were analyzed using person product moment correlation, k2, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and independent samples t test. The questionnaires were analyzed using version 20 of SPSS software and the significance level was equal to 0.05. Results: The results indicated that 80% of the students deployed a convergent style of learning. Also, it was found that there was no meaningful relationship between learning styles and academic success (P = 0.61). There was no significant relationship between locus of control and academic achievement (P = 0.51). However, the learners with internal locus of control were older than the ones with external locus of control (P = 0.04). Conclusions: Because of the novelty of virtual education in Iran, it demands more research to specify the degree of success gained by this kind of educational system.