Learning preferences and problem-based discussion sessions: A study withTurkish university maritime students

The purpose of this study was twofold: analyzing any likely effects of problem-based discussion sessions on promoting the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domain; and scrutinizing the effects of individual learning preferences on this promotion. A two-part questionnaire was administered. The first set of questions was based on the Higher-Order Thinking and Problem Solving Checklist (Borich, 2004). The second had 13 statements derived from Visual/Aural/Reading-Writing/Kinesthetic (VARK) Learning Preferences Questionnaire (Fleming, 2001). The data showed that problem-based discussion sessions contribute to promoting cognitive and metacognitive domains and also that the prevailing individual learning preference of the randomly chosen sample was kinesthetic, learning through self-practicing and self-experiencing.