Exploring VARK learning preferences, curriculum satisfaction, and the impact of demographic factors among emergency medicine residents at multiple training centers in Riyadh

Background Emergency medicine residency training requires rapid acquisition of diverse clinical competencies in high-pressure environments. Understanding residents’ learning preferences and curriculum satisfaction is essential for optimizing training outcomes, yet limited research exists on how demographic factors influence these variables in emergency medicine education, particularly in non-Western contexts. Objectives This study aims to investigate the VARK (Visual, Aural, Reading/Writing, Kinesthetic) learning preferences of emergency medicine residents at multiple training centers in Riyadh, evaluate their satisfaction with the academic curriculum, and examine the influence of demographic factors including gender and residency year on both learning preferences and curriculum satisfaction. Methods and materials A cross-sectional study was conducted with 121 emergency medicine residents from multiple training centers in Riyadh. Participants completed the validated VARK questionnaire (Version 8.01), which consists of 16 scenario-based items assessing four sensory modalities. Each item presents a learning situation with four response options corresponding to visual (e.g., diagrams, charts), aural (e.g., discussions, lectures), reading/writing (e.g., manuals, notes), and kinesthetic (e.g., hands-on practice) preferences. The questionnaire also identifies multimodal combinations (bimodal, trimodal, quadmodal). Additionally, residents completed a 4-item curriculum satisfaction survey using a 4-point Likert scale (1 = Disagree, 2 = Neutral, 3 = Agree, 4 = Strongly agree) evaluating key domains including simulation quality and clinical skill development. Results Among 121 emergency medicine residents (61.2% male, 38.8% female), VARK preferences revealed near-universal use of visual (97.5%) and kinesthetic (96.7%) modes, with 68.6% preferring quadmodal (all four) learning. Residents predominantly relied on maps (74.4%) for navigation, videos (51.2%) for online learning, and hands-on practice (42.1%) for skill acquisition. Satisfaction with the curriculum was high: 79.4% (agreed/strongly agreed), and 71.9% (agreed/strongly agreed) endorsed simulation/practical sessions. However, no significant association existed between VARK preferences and satisfaction scores ( p > 0.05). Males scored higher in kinesthetic preference than females ( p = 0.005), but neither gender nor residency year significantly influenced satisfaction ( p > 0.05). Conclusion Emergency medicine residents demonstrate consistent visual-kinesthetic learning dominance throughout training, with gender-based differences in preference and satisfaction. These findings support curriculum redesigns emphasizing multimodal, hands-on teaching while addressing gender-specific needs. Future research should examine how these preferences correlate with clinical performance.